Vengeance
by TrueSalvation
Summary: Nothing is more sweet, nothing is more costly, than vengeance. NaruSaku
1. Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...not yet that is **

**Author's Note: **I've read a lot of good stories on fan fiction and decided to write one of my own. There are a lot of stories and authors I'd like to acknowledge for helping to inspire me to write this story, but I don't want to name any of them because I will feel like I left something/someone out; if you see something you have seen before feel free to point it out.

**Summary**: Everything is canon until the Valley of the End fight where Naruto instead wins and brings back Sasuke. From there on I write my own version of what happens. Naruto leaves the village in his quest to become stronger and then return after a few years. Orochimaru and Akatsuki are still out there trying to achieve there goals. Watch as many paths will cross and the worlds future will be shaped by the most powerful shinobi in the universe.

**You have been warned**: Language, Manga Spoilers, Super (not invincible) Naruto, Sexual themes, and Violence.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi_" **means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 1: Home Sweet Home**

He entered the gates of his village carrying the bloody and battered body of his teammate. He had pain surging all throughout him, but he refused to give in and continued to walk towards the hospital. As he continued to walk he saw the glares of the villagers and heard words such as, 'demon', 'monster', and 'murderer'. He tried to remain oblivious to the comments and continued towards the hospital.

Just as he reached the steps of the entrance his body finally gave into the pain and he collapsed onto the stairs dropping his teammates body in front of him. He struggled to get up but couldn't. Suddenly, he heard some noises from behind him and forced himself to turn around.

There they stood, a mob of villagers giving him evil glares. "What did you do to the poor Uchiha you demon!" yelled an old man. "Why must you continue to haunt our village demon brat? Why don't you just die!" yelled someone else.

Naruto tried to suppress his anger; it wasn't his fault that they were too ignorant to realize the truth, they were just fearful. They continued to mock and insult him because he refused to retaliate against them knowing plain well that that would only further support their ignorant beliefs. He was broken from his thoughts when a rock was thrown at his head, and one of his former wounds had opened up allowing blood to trail down his face.

"Leave you demon brat! We don't want you here to harm us anymore!" yelled someone from the crowd. "Just go away and crawl into a ditch and die!" someone yelled as they threw another rock at his head.

Naruto's anger was rising to a new level; he had to leave before he would do something that he'd later regret. The crowd became bigger and more people started throwing rocks at him. Naruto quickly got up and ran away. He kept tripping, but continued to get up and ran towards his apartment. He entered the trashed apartment and went into the bathroom. He removed his torn clothes and took a cold shower trying to clean all the wounds he had received from the battle. Turning the faucet off he dried himself with a white towel that soon turned red, and put on a new pair of clothes. He went to his bedroom and fell on top of the bed.

He laid there closing his eyes and began to cry, tears streaming down his face. _Why? Why do they hate me so much? What have I ever done to them? I continue to train and become stronger so I can gain their respect, but they still refuse to acknowledge me! How can I ever gain their respect?_

His questions were all answered by one response, "_**Through fear..."**_Naruto opened his eyes but found that he was no longer in his bed, but in the sewers of his inner mind in front of the cage that jailed his captive. "What do you mean?", he questioned.

Before him appeared the nine tails fox, Kyuubi no Kitsune, his aura simmered red throughout the sewers. "_**You want to gain strength do you not?"**_roared the fox. Naruto stared at him for a while before nodding his head. Kyuubi continued, "_**You alone cannot gain the strength required to satisfy those fools. In order to gain true strength you must use my power!"  
**_  
"If I use your chakra you will just take over my body and do the exact opposite of what I want"

Kyuubi gave out a large laugh, "_**Are you too stupid to understand what I'm proposing? I will help you become the most powerful entity this world has ever seen! Do you have any idea of what happens when human and demon chakra combine? It creates a new chakra so powerful that it will install fear into the hearts of those who feel it!" **_

Naruto continued to stare at the fox before speaking, "How do I know your not lying? How can I trust you?"

Kyuubi stared right at him, "_**If you must know, that cursed Yondaime defeated me by using the Shiki Fuujin to seal me away. However, as the powerful being that I am, he could only seal part of me within himself and left the remains within you. The seal that he placed on you slowly leaks my chakra into your system till eventually it becomes one with your very own. But, if you let it take it's normal course the chakra's true power will not be activated. In order to take advantage of my full power you must completely remove the seal and instantly absorb it into your chakra system"**_

Naruto took the response into his head and thought it over. "But, if I remove the seal won't my body not be able to handle it?"

Kyuubi gave a grin, "_**That is your decision to make. Once you completely remove the seal, my chakra will enter your system and intertwine with your very own chakra. If you are able to endure the pain that comes with this process you will gain complete control over the new chakra and gain all of my knowledge and wisdom. I will still be able to contact you from a corner in your mind, but my control will be no more. However, if you cannot handle the combination, your body will break and I will die along with you..."**_

Naruto debated over this new information. _If I can absorb his chakra I will become as strong as I can ever hope too. But, if I can't handle it I will surely die...and so will he..._Naruto broke his thoughts and spoke, "I understand what you are saying and I will remove the seal. If I can endure the process then I will surely become powerful. If I die then it will be for the best because I won't be able to reach my true potential; Kyuubi, you got yourself a deal!"

Kyuubi laughed at the enthusiasm, "_**You indeed have courage little one, thus it is settled! We will leave this forsaken village and put you through the training of becoming the strongest figure in this world! Once your training is complete, you will return and show those fools what true power is and they will bow down before you!"**_

For the first time today Naruto actually smiled, "Ok fox, I will leave tonight and do this training. But, where exactly are we going?"

Kyuubi looked down at him, "_**We will enter Mt. Akuma Keika in the far east and enter a cave. There you will start the first step of the training and remove the seal"**_

Naruto nodded, "Ok I will depart tonight"

He then closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them again to see his bedroom. He got up and pulled his backpack out. He put in some traveling scrolls that contained food, water, clothing, and shelter. Putting his backpack on, he took one last look at his home before leaving for the village exit.

* * *

Naruto began walking on the exact same road that Sasuke used to exit the village a few days ago. He was just a few feet from the gates when he felt a familiar chakra signal from behind him. "Where are you going?" said the figure. Naruto turned around and gazed upon his pink haired friend, "Listen Sakura-chan I just need to leave for a while, I just need sometime to get over things..." 

Silence loomed for a while before she finally spoke, "I'm sorry Naruto" Naruto gave her a questioning look, "I don't understand Sakura-chan, what do you mean?"

Sakura had a few tears fall down from her eyes, "I'm sorry because of what happened earlier at the hospital..I'm sorry that they are always so mean to you..I don't know why they call you those horrible names...I hate it when they do that to you...I don't understand why they can't see how good you really are...how you are always helping others"

Naruto sighed and walked closer to her wiping the tears from her eyes, "It's Ok Sakura-chan it isn't your fault you don't have to cry about it. I just have to leave because I need to do something for myself. I need to find out who I really em"

Sakura looked into his blue eyes, "But you're not going to be leaving for forever right? You are going to eventually comeback?"

Naruto gave a heavy sigh, "I don't know what's going to happen, but I promise you that I will return one day to see you again"

"But how do I know you will keep your promise? How will I know that you will comeback?" she countered.

Naruto thought about it for a while before an idea came to him. He removed his forehead protector and placed it in front of her. "Take off your forehead protector and we will trade. When I return we will exchange them back" Sakura looked at him for a while before finally removing her forehead protector and gave it to him as he gave her his.

They both placed them on their heads and Naruto spoke, "There! Now I definitely will have to comeback!"

Sakura gave him a weak smile, "Naruto I just want to say good luck on finding yourself. I just hope you still stay the same on the inside"

Naruto gave her a grin, "Anything for you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smile got a little bigger and she came closer to him and gave him a hug, "Naruto please stay safe and don't forget about me"

Naruto returned the hug, "How could I ever forget about you? You're one of the most precious people to me" With that he broke the hug and turned towards the gate and gave her a goodbye wave before departing onto his new journey.

* * *

**Shiki Fuujin **- Corpse Spirit Sealing Method (original)**  
**

**Author's Notes:** Well it's been some time since I wrote this story and it has gotten longer. Those of you who are new to this story, all I can say is that do not base your opinion of the story solely on the first chapter. Do you know the saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'? Well the same thing applies here. So you might have some ideas or questions about this story, and all I can say is just continue reading on. And if you think Sakura is OOC by being too nice to Naruto, I suggest you reread/watch the Promise of a Lifetime scene and realize that her opinion of him totally changed and she didn't become a total bitch. Even when he failed, she didn't bite his head off like she does in most fics. Trust me, she won't get special treatment, but I'm not going to be like the other million authors who bash her in every single sentence.


	2. The Cave

**Disclaimer:** **i do not own Naruto...but i own this fic!**

**Author's Note:** I'm glad to see people enjoy my story thus far, which helps motivate me to complete it. One thing i absolutely HATE is when authors leave a perfectly good story incomplete or not updating in months or even years. Anyways, the next few chapters will be focused on Naruto's training...that is if he _survives _the first step, you'll just have to read this chapter to find out if he does!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi_" **means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 2: The Cave **

Naruto entered the dark cave at the base of the mountain. The cave got darker as Naruto continued to go in deeper until he reached the end. He found a small boulder in front of him and sat down. He closed his eyes and started to clear his mind. When he opened his eyes he stood in front of the jail cell that held Kyuubi no Kitsune. He saw the white seal that locked nine tailed fox's chakra from escaping into his body.

Kyuubi finally appeared at the entrance and looked down at the vessel. "_**Are you prepared to start the training? Once you remove the seal there will be no turning back; there will be no chance to regret. Are you willing to endure the pain that comes with absorbing my power?" **_

Naruto looked up at the demon and smiled, "I have no regrets! From this point on I while achieve my ultimate potential!"

Kyuubi gave out a thunderous laugh, "_**Once again I admire your courage. But courage alone cannot help you withstand what is to come forth. You must have the will to endure the suffering that will feel like an eternity of pain, yet in reality will last only a mere few seconds. If you have no fear, then come forth and remove this seal!" **_

Naruto began to slowly step forward towards the gates. He stood right next to the white paper seal and placed his hand on top of it. Kyuubi spoke, _**"It is now or never! Remove the seal!"**_

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He grabbed the top portion of the seal and in one swift motion ripped it off. He heard a loud bang and quickly opened his eyes finding himself back in the dark cave. He looked down at his stomach and saw the seal beginning to shine red through his clothing. Nothing happened for a few seconds and Naruto started to wonder what was happening. Then suddenly it finally hit him.

Naruto quickly clenched his abdomen which began to tighten into a million knots. He gritted his teeth as the pain began to spread throughout his torso. His vision became blurry and he saw traces of red dripping from his head. The pain was too great and he fell down onto his knees. He started to pant heavily as he felt his lungs tightening up. Then his heart began to beat tremendously fast against his chest as if it was trying to escape a cursed fate. He let out an agonizing scream that echoed throughout the entire cave. His ear drums felt as if they were going to burst from his own screams.

Naruto began to grab his throat as he felt something clogging it preventing him from breathing. He quickly squeezed it as hard as he could and coughed out large amounts of blood. He tried to stand up but crashed back down onto the hard ground. He started tossing and turning, clutching his stomach which he felt was going to burst at any moment.

Kyuubi spoke, "_**Naruto, do not give into the pain! If you give into it now you will surely die! You must have the will to survive, you cannot be weak!"**_

Naruto screamed, "Fuck you Kyuubi I will never give up! This pain isn't shit compared to what all those people say and do to me!"

Naruto tried to get up again, but fell back onto his knees. He began to punch the ground with his fists, hoping it would distract him from the pain in his abdomen. He continued to punch the ground breaking the solid rock floor as well as his own knuckles. His fists were covered in his own blood and was starting to make a pool on the ground. Naruto finally collapsed onto the floor and began to clutch his head. He felt his brain going haywire as his nerves kept sending a million pain signals up his spine. Once again he tried to stand up but fell onto his back. He arched his back as his spine began to crunch from all the electrical signals going up to his brain. He screamed louder and louder and felt blood dripping out of his ears, nose, mouth, and every opening in his body.

He jumped up and ran up towards the wall of the cave and started punching it with his battered fists. His hands dug deep into the rock and his blood covered his entire arms. He rammed his forehead against the wall covering his face with red. He kept pounding against the wall before falling onto his back. Again he arched his back as his spine began to twist with pain. Naruto's eyes bulged out of their sockets and he felt blood pour into his eyes giving him an intense stinging sensation.

"_**Naruto you are close to the edge! At this point you will either be made or broken! The only thing keeping you alive is sheer will!"**_, roared Kyuubi.

Naruto kept yelling and screaming, "I will not die! I made a promise to Sakura-chan that I said I would return! I will never go back on my word! Fuck all of this shit, I will endure!"

Naruto began to stand up as his body emitted large amounts of red and blue chakra. The entire cave was illuminated by red and blue clashing at one another. The two chakra's began to crash against the walls causing everything to crumble inside. Just above Naruto's head a large rock fell and crashed onto his back. Naruto instantly fell to the floor as the weight of the rock prevented him from moving. He yelled out loud screams and kept cursing. He struggled against the rock but he couldn't move his body. The pain simmered throughout his entire body and he began to shake vigorously. He closed his eyes but instead of the usual black he saw dark red. He felt his breathing get shallow and he felt as he was going to pass out at any second.

Kyuubi yelled, _**"No Naruto! You cannot give in! You will die and all will be lost! The process is nearly complete just stay alive a little longer!**_

Naruto gritted his teeth and blood began to pour out of his mouth. "I won't give in...I will continue to survive..."

Suddenly he heard someone call out his name. He opened his eyes and looked out in front of him. And there she was, running towards him yelling out his name "Sakura-chan..." He saw her running towards him, but she was suddenly grabbed by two figures and yelled out a loud scream. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he saw Orochimaru and Sasuke grab Sakura from behind and started to drag her away. Naruto screamed and cursed. He tried to get up but the rock was too heavy. He looked back up and saw Orochimaru holding a kunai to Sakura's neck. Naruto screamed as tears began to pour down his eyes. He felt his anger raging inside himself and his body began to shake.

All of a sudden he felt his body regaining it's strength. He quickly got up, and the rock on top of him burst into a million pieces. Naruto held out his arms as his body began to emit a new purple chakra. He felt a new source of power running throughout his entire body. He clenched his fists and ran top speed towards the three figures. He jumped into the air and punched both Orochimaru and Sasuke in the face, their bodies exploding. He felt Sakura's arms reach out for him and he clutched onto her for dear life as they both rolled to the ground.

He felt his body embrace the pink haired kunoichi and he felt at peace within himself. Before he even knew it, he closed his eyes and fell into complete darkness.

"_**Who would have known that his feelings for a female were what powered his determination. I guess this is what humans mean by the power of love. As sick as it may make me, it did indeed get the job done. Congratulations Uzumaki Naruto, you have gained my true powers and are well on your way to being the strongest creation this world has ever seen!"** _laughed Kyuubi.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope new enjoyed this new chapter as much as i did writing it. Also, about his new chakra, i figured that since red and blue mix into purple that's what it should be, makes the most sense right? The next chapter should be up in a day or two since i already have an outline of the story and just need to write it. Thanks for taking the time to read it! 


	3. Enter Hell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...If i did i wouldn't be writing this fic now would I?**

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all the people to took their time to R&R it is much appreciated. I know a lot of you have and will have questions about the story, but it is still in it's early stages so you just have to bear with me as I write the answers to all your questions into the story. Also, just to let you know Naruto's training will last until chapter six, as i like to explain how he got stronger instead of just saying it (which would be quite boring). Anyways, here's the latest installment of the story i hope you enjoy!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi_" **means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 3: Enter Hell**

The blond shinobi opened his eyes as droplets of water fell onto his face. He quickly shook his head and got up and started to stretch his body. _This is interesting...I feel really weird...I feel light as a feather, yet as strong as an ox. _**_"I see you are taking notice of your new powers huh brat?" _**Naruto smiled at the complimenting words of Kyuubi, but his smile soon faded when he remembered what had happened right before he passed out.

"Hey fox, where is Sakura-chan?**_" _**said Naruto, while looking around the cave for any site of the pink haired girl.

"_**If you are referring to that pink haired female she is no longer here"**_ said Kyuubi.

Naruto soon became enraged and his new purple chakra began to flare around his body._"_What! Where the hell is she? Did that snake bastard and his cunt take her? I swear I'll kill them both if they dare hurt her!"

Kyuubi snorted, "_**Relax brat she is perfectly fine. She never was really here in the first place, you sort of just imagined her. It seems that she is the reason for your strong determination. When your determination took a major blow and you were close to the edge, it **_**seems**_** as if your feelings for her helped you survive. Quite honestly I feel disgusted just by the thought of it, but heh it served it's purpose." **_

Naruto's emotion swung a full three hundred and sixty degrees as his anger instantly switched to happiness and a big grin appeared on his face. He decided to test his newly acquired powers. He made a hand sign and started to draw out some of his new chakra. What followed was truly an incredible site.

His entire body glowed with a light purple aura which began to shimmer in the dark cave. His chakra began to spread everywhere inside the cave, and before Naruto knew it the cave appeared to collapsing. He saw the crashing rocks falling from the ceiling and started to run towards the outside of the cave. He focused some chakra onto his feet and made a small leap forward, or at least he thought it was small. In fact it was almost as if he was gliding in the air, and when he landed he was nearly at the mouth of the cave. He quickly increased his speed and was out just a few seconds before the entrance to the cave was blocked by the falling rocks.

"_**You shouldn't be so reckless fool! Remember, with great power comes great responsibility!"**_ roared Kyuubi.

Naruto continued to smile and started to stretch his limbs. He looked at his body and noticed that all the wounds had sealed up, and all the scratches and bruises had disappeared as well, only his clothes remained tattered.

Kyuubi broke Naruto from his happy thoughts, _**"If**_**_ you think that absorbing my chakra was all you have to do, then you are far from being correct. Absorbing my chakra was indeed the first step, but now we must move onto the next one"_**

Naruto gave a disappointed sigh but knew that what he was saying was right. "So what's the next step fox?"

"_**Now that you have gained this new chakra, it is time that you put it to some good use and learn some new techniques. You must go and get the demon scroll of learning to acquire new jutsu's" **_said Kyuubi.

Naruto spoke, "demon scroll of learning? Where the hell I'm I going to find that?"

Kyuubi laughed out loud,_** "Even with all my knowledge and wisdom you are still the same knuckle headed ninja. You just answered your own damned question fool**__!"_

Naruto thought their conversation over in his head and his eyes widened in shock when he realized what Kyuubi was saying. "What the fuck?" yelled Naruto, "HELL!?!?!? We have to go to HELL?!?! Are you out of your fucking mind fox?!?!?"

Kyuubi snorted, _**"Well it took you long enough...Where else do you expect it to be? Its called the DEMON scroll of learning! I'm pretty sure hell is the most likely place for demons to reside"**_

Naruto gave a disgruntled sigh. "Well I guess I have too...But how exactly I'm I supposed to get there? I mean I don't think I have ever seen hell on a map..."

Kyuubi snorted _again, __**"Kit, who do you think you're talking to? I'm Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful demon this world has ever seen! I'm damn well sure I know where my own fucking home is!"**_Naruto couldn't help but laugh at Kyuubi's playful anger, but stopped when he heard him growled loudly.

"_**You should feel honored that you will be the first living human to enter there. Now climb up this mountain and go inside the volcano. Go into the magma and you shall see a black portal which you must step through in order to enter hell. Also, do not worry about the magma burning you because your new chakra will protect you" **_said Kyuubi.

Naruto stared up at the very tall volcano which looked like it wouldn't be an easy climb. Walking over to the base, he began to focus chakra on the soles of his feet, which began to glow a light purple. Taking a deep breath he began to walk up the mountain. When he reached the top he looked down and saw the huge crater with hot molten lava inside. The atmosphere was fuming and he began to sweat protrusively. "Kyuubi are you sure I won't be harmed? I mean this isn't exactly a hot spring"

Kyuubi laughed, "_**I don't ever remember saying it would be a walk in the park kit. Like I said earlier, you will not be harmed if you draw out some of your new chakra. Remember that it is half demon so the magma will not effect you. Now just stop whining and dive in!"**_

Naruto gave out a large sigh before putting his hands together and drawing out some chakra. His body was again covered by the light purple aura. Naruto took a deep breath and dived towards the molten swimming pool. As his body approached closer to the surface of the lava he started having doubts about whether he was doing the right thing. But those doubts quickly vanished when his body was about to touch the magma, which just spread apart allowing him to enter unharmed. He descended deeper into the volcano and finally approached the base where he saw the black swirling portal. He closed his eyes and held his breath hoping not to swallow anything and passed through the portal.

When he opened his eyes again he was lying on the ground of solid red rock and was in an area illuminated by red and orange. He looked to his left and right and saw a river of hot magma surrounding him; in front of him was a walkway which led to a big plateau and his eyes widened in shock at the site that he saw.

There were hundreds, no thousands, of them everywhere in front of him. He saw small ones, big ones, humongous ones. He saw ugly ones, creepy ones, and just straight up gross looking ones. There were demons all over the place! Naruto was down right about to piss in his pants at the site.

Kyuubi laughed, "_**Ahhhh, it's good to be home! Don't be afraid kit this is just like being in jail, you have to make a good first impression unless you want to be someone else's bitch, or in **__**this case dinner. These demons have never laid eyes on a living human before, so they will be **__**quite curious to know why you are here and what you taste like. As soon as they rush over to you, release some of your chakra to show them you are not someone to be trifled with**_!" Naruto shook his head and muttered under his breath something about 'easier said then done'.

Slowly he gathered the courage to walk down the trail. His breathing was rampant but he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor. He was about half way across when he heard someone yell, "Dibs on his head!"and "Not if I get there first!", and saw a stampede of demons coming right at him.

Naruto screamed in his head, "Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit! FOX! What the fuck I'm supposed to do?!?!" Naruto heard Kyuubi laughing in the back round before speaking, "_**Unless you want to be demon food kit, I suggest you blow off some of your chakra!"**_

Naruto quickly obliged as he saw demons surrounding him and leaping into the air prepared to devour him. He quickly put his hands together and drew out as much chakra as he could. The demons saw the boy glowing purple one second, and in the next second they were hit by a blinding force of purple chakra. Every demon that came in contact with it was instantly disintegrated to ashes. Naruto's chakra exploded all throughout the area and any poor unlucky creature that came in contact with it was automatically incinerated.

After his chakra explosion had subsided, Naruto looked out to see nothing but ashes remaining on the ground. He stood their in disbelieve as he saw the remaining demons backing away and minding their own business.

"_**Well you might have over done it a tad bit, but getting your point across is all that matters. Now, continue walking forward till you reach that throne in front of you. You will see a female demon who has the demon scroll of learning; tell her to give it to you"**_said Kyuubi.

Naruto looked in front and indeed saw the throne about a few hundred feet away. He continued walking forward and could see the glares the demons were giving him from the corner of his eyes, yet none chose to attack him. Naruto got a grin on his face realizing the extent of influence his chakra had on demons; imagine what it would do for humans!

Finally he approached the throne and saw the female demon there. She looked around six feet tall and wore a white dress/toga She had dark blue hair and her skin was a dirty yellow which matched perfectly with her yellow fangs. Her eyes were blackish red and her three inch long nails looked to have been polished with blood. When she saw Naruto she gave him a questioning look. "And what exactly are you doing here human?"

Naruto shivered at the cold voice but spoke, "Um...I'm here to receive the demon scroll of learning"

The demon raised her right eye brow. "And how exactly do you know about the scroll human?"

Naruto gulped. _Oh man this bitch is scary! She almost looks as scary as Sakura-chan when she gets mad, though not quite as good looking!_ Naruto broke from his thoughts when he caught a glimpse of annoyance on her face. "Well I was told by Kyuubi no Kitsune to come down here and get it. He said I need it for my training.

The demon's face turned to that of surprise. "Kyuubi no Kitsune you say? Are you talking about the same fool who was defeated by a mere mortal? I always thought foxes where supposed to be clever, but I guess there are some exceptions to the rule"

"_**She is really lucky I don't have my body because I would devour her limb by limb the ugly bitch! Naruto kill her NOW!"**_ yelled Kyuubi.

Before Naruto could respond the female demon rose from her seat. "Well human I must admit for you to be able to come down here and stay alive for as long as you have is quite a feat. However, to get the scroll is an entirely different matter. In order to get it you must defeat me"

"But how do I know if I can trust you and will get the scroll when I defeat you?" countered Naruto.

The demon laughed for the first time, "Silly mortal, the only way to get the scroll is by killing me, because it happens to be in my stomach"

Naruto almost vomited at the thought of going through her body. but quickly got ready as he saw the female demon get into a fighting stance.  
_**  
"Naruto give her a slow and painful death for the insults she threw at me!"**_ roared Kyuubi. Naruto smirked before quickly dashing at the blue haired demon preparing to strike as she did the same.

* * *

**Author's Note:** That was the third chapter of the story and i hope you liked it. I might be able to put the next chapter up possibly by tonight after work, seeing as i don't have anything to do tomorrow so i can stay up. Feel free to review, criticize, offer suggestions, and flame! 


	4. Into the Belly of the Beast

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But if i did, Naruto would finally have giving up chasing on Sasuke by now...**

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who's checked out, and I hope you like this newest chapter to the story.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi_" **means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 4: Into the Belly of the Beast**

As their fists collided with one another's, a huge burst of purple and black chakra were given off as both bodies flipped backwards in order to avoid the explosion. Naruto flipped up from his hands and landed on his feet. He made a hand sign and yelled, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!", creating 5 clones who rushed at the blue haired demon.

All five of the clones jumped in the air and threw kunai's at the demon, but she quickly flipped out of the way before dashing towards the clones. Two of the clones tried to punch her, while the remaining three tried to kick her. The demon grabbed the fists of the two clones and twisted their wrists, receiving a cry of pain from the clones. She then launched them at the ones who were about to kick her, and then slide tackled the remaining clone. The two flying clones rammed into the two other ones and all of them disappeared in a puff of smoke, while the last one tripped and fell on the ground. The demon got up and stomped her feet on the clone's head, who screamed out in pain before puffing away.

The blue haired demon spat on the ground before speaking. "If that is the best you have to offer human, then you are truly are a waste of my time, prepare to die!" and she ran towards Naruto.

Naruto prepared for impact and started blocking the punches he was receiving from various different angles. He blocked nearly all of them, except he was hit by the occasional one or two, which happened to burn like hell. The yellow skinned demon launched a punch at Naruto's head, but he turned his neck barely enough to dodge it, but couldn't dodge the on coming punch from her other fist which hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards.

Naruto got up quickly, but flew back again when a one of the demon's kick connected with his jaw knocking him farther back.

"I grow bored human I think it is time I finish this", yelled the demon.

Naruto was standing on one knee panting deeply. "Shit fox what I'm I supposed to do? She's super fast and her punches burn! Do you have any idea of a strategy I can use?"

"_**She is indeed very strong and I haven't seen her in over a thousand years so...You're pretty much on your own kit"**_ said Kyuubi.

Before Naruto could make a outraged response the blue haired demon was right in front of him and kicked him in the head, causing a small gash to open on his right temple. "You provide me with zero entertainment pathetic mortal, now I will kill you with one of my favorite techniques!" roared the demon.

Naruto was laying on the ground and looked up at her seeing a transformation occur. Her body began being covered with black chakra and her features became more animalistic. A pair of horns grew out of her head and her hair began to grow down to her feet. Her fangs and claws grew longer, and her skin became even more of a dirty yellow. Then Naruto looked at her clenched fists and saw blackish flames forming around her hands.

"Enjoy your last seconds of life you disgusting vermin! **Kuro ****Kobushi ****Hisaki**"

Naruto quickly got up off the ground and prepared to dodge the attack. When both opponents struck each other, a flash of energy burst between them. Naruto tried his best to avoid the punches, but his attempts were futile. His arms began to be covered with black marks as the punches collided against his skin. Everywhere he was hit it felt like he was being burned by fire. Before not too long he couldn't stand the pain and tried to flip out of the way. However, he was too slow as the demon got closer to him and started rapidly punching his chest. Naruto was grimacing in pain as the fists collided against his chest and abdomen. He couldn't believe how many times he was hit, he lost count somewhere after two hundred and fifty strikes. After what felt like an eternity, the demon finally launched a punch at his forehead and the force was so tremendous that Naruto flew backwards until he hit a wall and heard the sound of cracking bones. He slide down lifelessly and crashed onto the ground laying on his stomach.

The blue haired demon had a grin on her face looking at the motionless body and began walking back to her throne. "You truly are the weakest being I have ever seen, even considering human standards. I can't understand how you ever thought you had a chance of defeating me. I will leave your body for the scavengers"

She walked a few yards before she felt a strange source of energy coming from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the boy slowly getting back to his feet. She was quite surprised that he was still alive, even though he had marks and smears of blood all over his body and his clothes were torn in multiple places. But, she was even more surprised at the expression on his face, it was one of pure anger.

Naruto had gotten up to his feet and had emotions of anger and pain coursing throughout his body. He pointed at the demon before speaking, "You bitch! I'm sick of your insults! When I'm in my village people see me as nothing but an evil demon, and when I'm down here you see me as nothing but a weak human! I don't understand this shit! Why is it that wherever I go people always detest me, I fucking hate this!"

With those words Naruto's body began shooting off purple chakra everywhere, his body was encased in it. The veins in his hands and neck started bulging as he could feel his blood boiling with rage. He yelled with a loud roar and charged at the demon who couldn't catch up with his increased speed. Before the blink of an eye, Naruto was right in front of her and started punching her with all his might.

The yellow skinned demon couldn't believe the power he was emitting. Whenever his fists hit her, trace amounts of purple chakra was given off. She couldn't keep up with his movements and felt herself experiencing pain for the first time in centuries. _How can this human have so much energy after my attack? Where is this new power coming from?_

Naruto kept ramming his fists against her, but she continued to block most of them. So he went for a deep jab at her chest and when he got close enough, he head butted her right in the forehead knocking her backwards. As she hit the ground she heared him yell "**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

When she got up she was surrounded by over five hundred clones all running towards her. She dodged as many as she could, but there were just too many of them. When she punched one clone on her right, suddenly another one hit her back pushing her forward into another one who uppercut her jaw launching her into the air. As she was thrown into the air the clones began jumping onto one another's shoulders and kept uppercutting her into the air. The blue haired demon was launched high into the air, but was brought back down when the last clone jumped off the last one and landed on her back and grabbed her arms using her body as a landing device.

As the blue haired demon looked down she saw two figures on the ground. One of them had his right hand stretched out, while the one standing next to him was forming something in his hand, which appeared to be a purple ball of chakra. The demon tried to escape the grasp of the clone, but he held on tightly. As they approached the ground, one of the figures disappeared in a puff of smoke and the remaining one jumped right at her.

Naruto stretched out his right hand and yelled, "**Rasengan" **ramming the purple sphere right into the demon's stomach. The demon coughed out green blood as her stomach was being pulverized with excruciating pain. A big blast of purple blew up around them causing both figures to rolled onto the ground.

Naruto grabbed the ground with his left hand and jumped back onto his feet. The demon was a lot less fortunate, as she kept rolling with green blood smearing a path behind her until she crashed into a rock on the ground with a large thud.

Naruto stood up with his back hunched and was wheezing deeply. "**Damn kit that was incredible, a little too sloppy for my taste but whatever you scorched her! Now, quick go get the scroll from her!" **said Kyuubi.

Naruto slowly walked over to the body until he was right before her. Her entire torso was totally mutilated and her eyes were closed. Her features had returned back to normal as her horns had disappeared and her claws and fangs were broken. Naruto went down on his knees and looked at her torn stomach. Naruto felt like retching but just held his breath and moved his trembling fingers toward the body. He was about to dig in when the body stirred and he jumped back. He saw the demon's eyes open slowly and look up at him.

"I must say I wasn't expecting such power from a human. But the difference between humans and demons is that your energy is fueled by your emotions which can prove to be quite powerful. With my death you are awarded the demon scroll of lear..." with those final words the blue haired demon died and her body became crusty and turned dark gray.

"_**Finally the bitch is dead! Hurry kit, go and get that scroll!" **_yelled Kyuubi.

Naruto went back on his knees and wrapped his sleeves up his arms. He then dug his hands into the dead demon's stomach. As he felt around for something cylinder he kept grabbing things he rather would not have like to imagined. He felt something stringy and gooey around his fingers and his hands were slipping all around touching the most gross objects he could have dreamed off. After he was nearly elbow deep in the stomach he felt something that wasn't either squishy or rubbery. He held it in a strong grasp and found out it was solid. Not wanting to explore anymore, he grabbed the scroll and pull his hands out, which were covered with a greenish gooey liquid.

Naruto wiped his hands off a rock before opening the scroll. The scroll it self was quite small maybe around a foot in length and was completely black with a white trim. He opened part of the scroll and saw that it was in some weird writing but surprisingly he was able to understand it.

"Kyuubi how I'm I able to read this when I have never even seen this before in my life?" questioned Naruto.

Kyuubi snorted, "_**No wonder you failed that academy test three years in a row, it's quite obvious idiot. You absorbed my chakra so you are part demon now, and being so allows you free entry into hell as well as being able to read demonic language"**_

Naruto stood there in shock. "Wait a minute, part demon? Does that mean I'm going to be as ugly as all these people around here? I'm going to grow horns and tails and stuff? Oh Kami what have I gotten my self into!"

Kyuubi just laughed, "_**No need to worry kit you won't be transforming anytime soon. And speaking of Kami let me explain your situation. When Kami created the universe he made two forces that dominated it, good and evil. Each side works against one another in a constant battle to determine the fate of the universe. Now, demons are created by the evil intentions and malice of humans. Bijuu's are the strongest form of evil and are the strongest creatures of hell; I'm proud to say that I'm the strongest of all the Bijuu, and before you go on babbling about the Yondaime that was just a fluke so shut it!" **_

Naruto just laughed as Kyuubi continued. "_**Now as I was saying, Kami gave all humans free will, the right to do whatever and be whatever they want. When you chose to absorb my chakra, it sparked the battle between your good and evil intentions. As you can tell by being in control of your body and not transforming, your good intentions won out, and you gained the advantages of my demonic chakra without turning 'evil', even though I see it as being 'good' "**_

"Wait a minute fox, what if my evil intentions won out? What would happen then?" questioned Naruto.

Kyuubi gave a slight laugh before responding. "_**Well, if your evil intentions won out then you wouldn't be in control of your body, I would..."**_

"What! You lied to me fox! You said you couldn't use my body because it wasn't strong enough. So that means if my evil side won out you would have taken over?" yelled Naruto.

Kyuubi just snorted at the boys remarks. "_**You really should have stopped skipping class and paid more attention. What do you expect kit? I'm a demon...I do evil things...You see me tricking you as deceit; I see it more as being sly, you do know I'm a fox right? Anyways, we are getting off topic, the point is you are looking at what 'would have happened' instead of 'what did happen' so just shut up and pay attention to what I have to say!"**_

Naruto just gave out a large grunt admitting Kyuubi was right.

"_**Good, now that that is out of the way let me explain the privileges of your half-demonic chakra. You have now gained free access to hell, the demon scroll of learning, and now it is time to pick up some new accessories" **_

Naruto had a questioning look on his face. "What do you mean accessories?"

Kyuubi gave out a sinister laugh before speaking, "_**What I mean by accessories is first of all you need some new clothes because quite frankly that orange jumpsuit just screams out loser, I mean what kind of retarded ninja wears orange? **_

"Wow fox I didn't know you were such a fashion expert, maybe you should work for Konohapolatin Magazine! Just shut up about my clothes and tell me what else I need?" growled Naruto.

Naruto didn't get a response for a while because Kyuubi was laughing hysterically, and if he still had his body he probably would be rolling all over the ground clutching his sides.

"_**ORANGE! I mean come on! What a lame color, you might as well hang a sign around your neck that says LOSER!" **_laughed Kyuubi.

Kyuubi finally stopped after he felt Naruto's chakra flare up. "_**Ok ok relax kit it's been a while since I have had a good laugh. The next item you need to get created is a sword hilt"**_

"Why would I want just a plain old sword hilt? How I'm I going to hurt anyone if it doesn't even have a blade?" questioned Naruto.

Kyuubi responded:_**"The reason you need just the sword hilt is because a steel blade fails in comparison to one made up of your chakra. By focusing chakra into the hand that you wield the sword with, you can create a blade that is stronger than any metal on earth, as well as being very **__**versatile, because you can increase it's range based on your chakra input. Now, the next thing you will need are the summoning contracts"**_

"Wait a minute fox, I already have a contract with toads. Ero-sennin made me sign it when I trained with him"

"_**Well kit you do know that your chakra is now half demonic, so you won't be able to summon those worthless tadpoles anymore. No, I'm afraid you have to sign the demon contract" **_grinned Kyuubi.

Naruto gave out a surprised reaction. "Demon contract? I can summon demons now? Are you serious fox?"

"_**Oh yes, I'm very serious, the demon contract is indeed a powerful tool. When you sign it you will gain two options. The first option is the traditional one that all contracts have, which is that you bite your thumb to draw blood and summon a creature. But the second option is only unique to the demon contract. What you do is first cut one of your palms, because it requires more blood. Then you must place your hands together in the ram sign in order to draw out your chakra and fuse it with the blood. Once you draw out enough chakra, slam your hand onto the ground and summon the gates" **_said Kyuubi.

"The gates? The gates to what?" questioned Naruto.

Kyuubi just laughed before speaking, _**"The gates to hell you idiot! When you use the second option you can bring up the gates to hell and when you say Kai, it will immediately open and allow for you to bring out as many demons as the amount of chakra you used to summon them! You can create your own personal demon army!"**_

To say that Naruto was surprised would be an understatement. He was completely blown out of his mind. _The gates to hell! I can open the gates to hell! My own demon army? This is so cool!_

Kyuubi broke Naruto from his happy thoughts. _**"Don't start getting so happy yet, you still need to acquire a large summon like Gamabunta, Katsuya, and Manda, even though they are nothing compared to the one you will get, that is if you survive..."**_

Naruto stopped jumping around when he heard what Kyuubi had said. "What? I have to sign another contract? And what do you mean if I survive?

"_**You will find out soon enough kit, just go down this passageway on your left and continue going until you can hear the roaring" **_grinned Kyuubi.

Naruto just shook his head knowing that there was no way in hell he'd want to be doing this, but since he was already in hell he might as well.

* * *

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - **Shadow Clones (original) 

**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - **Multi Shadow Clones (original)

**Kuro ****Kobushi ****Hisaki **- Black Flame Fists

**Rasengan** - Spiral Sphere (original)

**Author's Note:** I hope this chapter clairfies some of your questions about Naruto's status as a demon and human. If you have any other questions feel free to address them and i will answer them in my fic. Also, i like to use the Japanese names for the jutsu's because it just sounds cooler to me, and the definitions will always be at the bottom for you to check out. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and please offer your comments/suggestions if you have any.


	5. Unleash the Dragon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But if i did, a lot of SasuSaku and NaruHina fans would hunt me down...**

**Author's Note:** Well I'm in class right now and my professor is giving a really boring lecture, so i decided to post this up instead of taking notes. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for taking the time to read it.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi/Ryuunosuke_" **means Inner Sakura, Kyuubi, or Ryuunosuke speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 5: Unleash the Dragon**

Before Naruto had entered the passageway he had consulted with the demon blacksmith to forge his new clothes as well as create him a sword hilt, and he would pick them up later. Then he proceeded to meet the demon librarian who gave him the summoning contract to sign. Once those tasks were completed he went down the passageway to get his ultimate summon before finally embarking on his jutsu training.

Naruto walked down a steep walkway which went deeper into the ground. He could have sworn that he was at the center of the earth because it was so damn hot. He got some new clothes from one of his traveling scrolls and was in a plain black t-shirt and gray pants; Kyuubi told him to take off the orange jacket because of the whole 'loser' thing, but Naruto only took it off because it was uncomfortable due to the scorching atmosphere. He would have taken his sandals off as well, but he didn't want to risk his feet being burned to a crisp. As he reached the bottom of the walkway he felt the temperature shoot up over a thousand degrees, and sweat began to cover his entire face. Any normal human would have been baked a long time ago, but due to his new chakra being half demonic he was able to withstand most of the torturous heat.

Alas he had reached the bottom and appeared before a tunnel. He walked inside and could see claw marks on the sides of the wall, as well as traces of green blood. He started to grow quite uncomfortable at the site, and jumped back when he felt a gush of hot air hit him accompanied by a large roar.

"Kyuubi, what the hell was that?" yelled Naruto.

Kyuubi was laughing from the corner of Naruto's mind. "_**That kit is your summon. If you are going to be that much of a pansy, I suggest you go looking for the bunny contract!"**_

Naruto growled loudly and continued down the entrance, muttering under his breath something about 'I'll show you pansy'.

Naruto walked a few more steps before exiting the tunnel and coming upon an incredible site. He was in a cave with a pit of molten lava at the bottom. There were rock pillars scattered all throughout the area and at the center was a huge rock pillar with an area of around five hundred feet. And on top of that pillar was chained the most scariest creature Naruto had ever seen.

It looked to be about forty five feet tall laying down and must have been over hundred feet wide with it's wings stretched out. It had a dark black scales covering it's body, and red talons across it's humongous tail. It's fangs and claws were clearly visible as they shined a bright yellow. He had a chain around his neck which was attached to a spike on the ground, like some sort of leash. As Naruto began observing the creature's body a strange feeling suddenly hit Naruto when he saw it's eyes and the incredible killer intent shining from them, that was when he felt something comeback into him after a long time, _excitement._

"Kyuubi this is going to be my new summon? That's so freaking cool! A dragon summon that can breathe fire and fly! I cannot wait to sign this contract!" thought Naruto.

"_**Um sorry to break you out of your happy thoughts kit, but you might want to get out of the way" **_said Kyuubi.

As Naruto did what Kyuubi told him he saw a huge fireball coming straight at him and he jumped onto one of the stone pillars to dodge it.

"_**Foolish human what do you think you are doing here? Do you wish to become my dinner? **_The dragon said as he showed some of his fangs.

Naruto felt something weird by the sound of the dragon's voice as it didn't sound like anything he had heard before, but somehow he was able to understand it clearly. "Actually I don't intend to be your dinner, I'm really here so I can sign your summoning contract"

The dragon glared at him before laughing, "_**A puny human like you has come to sign my contract? You must really be a stupid fool if you think just signing your name on a piece of paper with your blood will bring forth the powers of the great Ryuunosuke! **__**In order to obtain me as a summon you must first kill one of my children and bring me their heart, as I cannot kill you myself because of this blasted chain"**_

_'Children? Where are his children?'_ Naruto's thoughts were answered when Kyuubi told him to look up. When Naruto looked up his eyes bulged out of his sockets. There were around twenty huge pink eggs located all around the roof of the cave. The eggs looked to be transparent and Naruto could make out the distinguishable features of some of the embryonic dragons.

As Naruto continued to gaze at the eggs, he had to shut his eyes when he saw a blinding force of light hit the roof. Ryuunosuke had blazed a flame from his nostrils which engulfed all of the eggs. When the flames cleared Naruto noticed the colors of the eggs turned from light pink to blood red. Finally he saw eggs dropping into the molten lava. One by one they continued to fall into the scorching flames of magma, and Naruto could have sworn that he heard screams of pain coming from below him.

Finally only one egg remained on the roof and was shaking furiously. Naruto just focused entirely on that egg hoping that maybe somehow it would fall and he wouldn't have to fight any dragons, but unfortunately his hopes were diminished when he saw the side of the egg beginning to crack. The crack grew bigger and finally the shell burst and Naruto saw a miniature dragon that looked exactly like the humongous one in the center starting to falling into the pool of lava. Just as it was about to hit the lava, it stretched out it's wings and flew back up into the air. Naruto immediately cupped his ears as he heard the dragon shriek loudly.

"_**My strongest child has been born and it already wants to taste blood! Prepare your self human for this will be the fight for you to gain my contract, as well as the one for your very own existence!" **_roared Ryuunosuke.

The small dragon took notice of Naruto and immediately flew at him. Naruto saw the approaching dragon and quickly jumped onto another stone pillar. The dragon was swift and turned right at him breathing fire through his mouth. Naruto flipped out of the way before the flames rushed and hit the former pillar he was standing on, as he jumped onto another one. The small dragon kept following him around the cave, as Naruto jumped from pillar to pillar trying to avoid the flames that chased after him.

"Shit fox what I'm I supposed to do? I don't know any water techniques, and if I try to use my Rasengan I'll probably get burned to a crisp! Plus, I'm a close combat fighter, I don't know any long ranged attacks! I can't run around all day I need to formulate a plan" thought Naruto.

"_**Indeed kit you are a horrible when it comes to far range attacks, but you must think of what else you have beside techniques and taijutsu"**_ answer Kyuubi.

Naruto continued to think about Kyuubi's words as he leaped from pillar to pillar avoiding the flames. At one point he got too close to the center, and Ryuunosuke shot a blast of fire right towards him. Naruto had dodged the flames in front of him, but suddenly was hit right on his back when the smaller dragon had crashed into him. He screamed out in pain as he felt the immense impact and started falling to the bottom pit of lava.

Making a quick hand sign, he created a clone on top of him and grabbed his hand. The clone then launched the real Naruto up at one of the stone pillars as he disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Naruto barely grabbed onto the edge with his fingers. He quickly flipped up onto the pillar and jumped onto another one as the small dragon blew flames at his former position.

Naruto continued to dodge the flames as he jumped form pillar to pillar. He was jumping for over an hour and was starting to feel fatigued. Even though he had an incredible amount of stamina, when you counted in the hot atmosphere as well as the flames being shot at him, all these factors were starting to take their toll.

_Man I can't keep this up for much longer, I really need to think of a counter attack! Come on Naruto think, you've faced bigger challenges than this. I beat Kiba at the chunnin exams, I took down Gaara when the sound/sand invaded, and I beat the shit out of Sasuke at the Valley of the End! I can defeat this stupid dragon, I just need to find out a way to bring it down to the ground..._

As he jumped from pillar to pillar dodging the attacks, Naruto reached into his weapons pouch and grabbed two kunai's and explosive tags. He wrapped each tag on a kunai and put them in his pocket. He turned around and saw the dragon approaching him quickly. He made a hand sign and created three clones. All of the Naruto's faced the dragon and proceeded to jump off of one another's back. The real Naruto jumped off the last clone and dodged the fire blast that hit the rest causing them to scream out in pain before they all puffed away.

He landed on top of the dragon's back and stabbed the kunai's into the dragons wings before jumping off and landing on a pillar. The dragon first winched in pain from the stabbing, but shrieked when the tags exploded and it's wings were damaged, causing it to crash onto the ground where the exit was.

Naruto took out some ninja stars and threw them at the dragon, who groaned out in pain from the impact. Naruto started jumping toward the dragon ready to attack with another pair of kunai's in his hands, but stopped when he saw the now very angry dragon coming at him. He started to jump away when another idea popped into his head. He jumped toward the center of the cave and threw the kunai's right at Ryuunosuke's face. The large dragon growled when they hit him and quickly opened his mouth to blast fire at Naruto. Naruto just smiled as he jumped out of the the way of the oncoming flames and landed on a pillar to his right. The smaller dragon wasn't as agile as Naruto, and couldn't avoid the large ball of fire coming right at him and shrieked as the flames engulfed him.

Naruto watched as the small dragon's skin started becoming a crusty black and fell onto a stone pillar. Naruto wasted no opportunity to quickly rush over to the burned dragon. As he laid his eyes on the body he could tell that it was totally incinerated and definitely dead. He reached down and grabbed one it's arm and used the claws to tear open the stomach. He saw the intestines fall out and looked inside the torso. He saw a lot of things that made him want to vomit, but he just held his breath as he used a kunai to dig through the organs. After clearing some of the objects inside he found what looked to be a golden orb glowing at the center. He reached in with his right hand and pulled it out.

"I'm pursuming that this the heart Ryuunosuke?" Naruto said with a smile as he held the heart in front of him.

Ryuunosuke looked at him with a cold glare. "_**I'm quite surprised human that you were able to trick me and defeat my child, but nevertheless you do have the heart. Now, take that kunai of your's and stab the heart; then take the kunai and stab it into your chest. Your blood will know be mixed with that of a dragon and in order to summon me, you must stab yourself with that kunai and plant it in the ground as a sacrifice to unleash me from here"**_

Naruto did as he was told and stabbed the golden heart with his kunai. He took out the bloodied weapon and quickly stabbed it into his chest. He grunted at the pain of thrusting in and releasing the kunai, but wasn't to worried because he knew that his chakra would heal the wound. The kunai turned from black to dark red and Naruto placed it in his weapons pouch. Once the ritual was complete, Ryuunosuke spoke again.

"_**Now that the process is complete you can summon me whenever and wherever you use. My only hope is that it's worth my time"**_

Naruto had a huge smile on his face as he recapped his progress so far. He had been able to withstand Kyuubi's chakra and have it merge with his own, creating a new and powerful purple chakra. Then, he had defeated that blue haired demon and gotten the scroll. He signed the demon summoning contract, and also had a new of clothes and weapon on the way. He was trembling with excitement from his success, but like usual Kyuubi had to spoil his fun.

"_**Don't get so happy kit the easy steps have now been done, but the final and hardest step is on the way. For the next five years you are to spend one year each mastering one of the five major elements. You will learn the basic human jutsu's of each element and then learn the ultimate demon jutsu of each element. Once that is done your training will be complete and you will become the most powerful shinobi ever!"**_ roared Kyuubi.

Naruto had mixed emotions about Kyuubi's statement. He was glad that he would be learning all these new techniques, but five years was a really long time. "Fox, why do I have to master all the elements? Why can't I just learn one or two of them?" he questioned.

"_**Fool! You must master every element in order to insure that you have no weaknesses! By knowing every element there is you will be able to counter your opponent's attacks, as well as have the advantage of using them when certain predicaments arise. You will became a well rounded shinobi with incredible power!" **_yelled Kyuubi.

Naruto groaned out loud, but knew that Kyuubi was once again right. Even though he was defeated by a mere mortal, he still had been the most powerful demon in the world after all, so his advice had to be correct. Naruto took a deep breath before heading for the exit. _These next five years are going to be a living hell...Oh the irony never stops does it! _

* * *

**Author's Note:** The next chapter will end the training arc and begin the story of Naruto's return. Also, I just want to tell you a little bit about how I write this story. I usually write two chapters and post one up. Based on your opinions about the posted chapter of whether you liked it or not, determines how fast the next chapter comes out. So, if you are satisfied with the chapter then I will most likely post the next one up faster. But, if you feel that the chapter sucked, then I will work on the next chapter to make sure it doesn't. Anyways, as usual thanks for reading this chapter and reviews are much appreciated. I need to get back to focusing on less important tasks so have fun... 


	6. Katon Suiton Fuuton Doton Raiton

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But i thought i did in my dream last night...**

**Author's Note:** I've got to say I'm really shocked by the popularity of this story! My last chapter has the least hits, but the most reviews! Thanks to everyone who took the time to R&R. Also, I can't help but feel proud that a lot of people have put this story on either their favorites or alert list, so thank you as well! Moving on, this is the last chapter of the training arc before Naruto's eventual return.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_"means Inner Sakura, Kyuubi, or Ryuunosuke speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 6: Katon-Suiton-Fuuton-Doton-Raiton**

Once Naruto had exited the dragons lair he went to the demon blacksmith he had met earlier to pick up his new gear. He received a thin silver chain plate armor to wear under a black shirt; despite being very light and flexible the armor was strong as steel. Also, it would adjust to his body size as he grew older. He was given a pair of black gloves that cut off around the middle of his fingers and had a strip of orange on the bottom. He then received a pair of black pants and black sandals. He put on a black belt which contained his weapons pouch, his new sword hilt, and the dragon dagger he got earlier. Lastly, he placed the necklace he got from Tsunade around his neck, and tightened the red Konoha forehead protector he had gotten from Sakura.

After placing on all of his new gear, the only thing Naruto could think of was how badass he looked. Even Kyuubi remarked on how is new outfit made him look less like a loser, especially since it wasn't drenched in orange.

"Ok Kyuubi I've got my new stuff and now it's time to begin training! So what do I start first?" asked the eager blond.

"_**Since you are already down here, I think it would be best to start your fire elemental training" **_said Kyuubi.

* * *

**Katon-Age 14**

Naruto opened the demon scroll and looked under the fire element section. It listed the various human jutsu's and then at the end of the list it had the omnipotent demonic jutsu which was protected by a seal. Kyuubi told him that once he perfected the human jutsu's all he had to do was place his thumb over the seal and spread his chakra over it in order to unlock the jutsu. Naruto looked at the various human jutsu's and the hand signs required to do them. He memorized all the hand signs for every technique, but whenever he tried to actually perform the jutsu he got nothing.

After trying over a hundred times Naruto finally gave up in frustration. "Hey fox, I don't understand it! I'm doing these hand signs perfectly, but I'm still getting nothing! What am I doing wrong?"

Kyuubi simply snorted. _**"Just performing the hand signs is not enough kit, you must mold your chakra and synchronize it with your signs. I'm assuming you do know how to mold your chakra correct?"**_

Naruto just grunted as he began to walk down the passageway that led to Ryuunosuke's lair, since it was the hottest area and best for a grueling workout. Once he reached the bottom of the walkway he made a hand sign and created a thousand clones, who all looked at the original and awaited instructions.

"Ok, I want you guys to get into two groups, each consisting of five hundred clones"

As the clones got into their groups Naruto went to the first group and addressed them. "Alright guys here's what you have to do: since I already memorized all the hand signs, what I need you to do is mold my chakra in order to perform the fire techniques. Your job is to sit down and meditate for eight hours. I want you to use your chakra to constantly keep your body temperature at a high level without passing out. If you can do this, then we should be able to correctly mold my chakra for the fire techniques"

The clones all nodded and sat down on the ground cross legged. They closed their eyes and put their hands together in the ram sign and began to mediate for the next eight hours. Naruto noticed most of them sweating perfusively, but none of them passed out so he was complacent.

Naruto went over to the second group and pulled out his sword hilt. "Your guys task is to practice kenjutsu for the next eight hours. You have to pump your chakra into the sword hilt and maintain a blade. I want you to practice extending and receding the blade till you get good control over it. Then I want you to practice sword fighting against one another and develop some new tactics to use in battle"

The group grabbed their sword hilts and started experimenting with it. They did a fairly decent job with maintaining the blade, and when they started sparring with one another they made sure not to stab anyone so Naruto wouldn't have to keep on making new clones.

Once the first part of training was over, Naruto dispersed his clones and slept for the next eight hours in order to rest his fatigued body and mind. When he finally woke up, he opened his traveling scroll and took out some energy bars and ate them. They tasted horrible, but were full of fiber which would help keep his stomach full and keep his mind off food; they were also full of protein and carbohydrates that helped him for energy. He also took out another scroll and drank a pitcher of water. He was very fortunate to have these traveling scrolls which could carry almost unlimited amounts of items. After finishing his leisurely activities he resumed his training by practicing the various fire jutsu's for eight hours.

He repeated this process everyday; he would have his clones mediate and practice kenjutsu for the first eight hours. Then, he would stop his training so he could sleep for eight hours, due to the huge amount of stress the clone training put on him. Lastly, he would practice the fire techniques by himself for the remaining eight hours of the day.

As he continued this training regime he began to feel satisfied with his progress and thought it was the right time to learn his ultimate technique. He reopened the demon scroll and placed his thumb over the black seal of the demonic jutsu. He pumped some chakra into his thumb and moved it across the seal. Once he had reached the end, the seal had disappeared in a puff of smoke and revealed the new jutsu.

It was labeled '**Kunrin no ****Houka**' and required tremendous amounts of chakra in order to create a fire storm in the air, which would shower his opponent's with meteorites. Naruto got a tingling feeling inside of him as he imagined how powerful this move would be. He first practiced the hand signs in order to do it, and then synchronized it with his chakra to implore it. At first he had trouble doing the jutsu, but after a couple of months he managed to completely master it.

The first year of training was over and Naruto could proudly say that he had mastered the fire element. Even Kyuubi was impressed at the boy for doing it so quickly. He told him the next element would be water. Naruto was finally happy to be getting the _hell _out of hell.

* * *

**Suiton-Age 15**

Naruto left hell and went into a secluded area in a forest. He came upon a small lake which had a waterfall running down from the side of a cliff. Using the same strategy as before, he created a thousand clones and made them get into two separate groups. He made the first group go into the water and go far enough so their heads remained above the surface. They all closed their eyes and made the ram sign. The original Naruto told them to mold their chakra to the flow of the water they were in, so he would be able to perform water techniques. Just like before they did this for eight hours a day.

Naruto then went to his second group and told them to repeat the same task. They all pulled out their sword hilts and began practicing with it. Naruto was really impressed by their progress and saw good things to come from it.

He left his clones to do their work while he took a bath in the lake. He was finally glad to be out in the real world and not in a hot oven. While removing his clothes and getting ready to clean up he noticed something different on his stomach. The former seal that locked the nine tails chakra was no longer there, and was replaced by a different seal. The seal was a giant circle in which it's left side was blue and it's right side was red. In the center of the circle was a small purple colored diamond.

"Hey fox, do you have any idea what this weird thing on my stomach is?" asked Naruto.

Kyuubi awoke from his slumber and spoke drowsily. _**"O yes I forgot to mention that to you. Once you fused my chakra with yours, the **_**_Shishou Fuuin_ **_**and Hakke no Fuuin Shiki seal that the blasted Yondaime placed on you was deactivated. They were originally placed to slowly leak my chakra into your system and slowly let them combine, but since you removed that seal from my cage they were deactivated and this new seal was formed"**_

"And what exactly does this new seal do fox?"

"_**The blue portion on the left side represents all that is good, and the right side which is red represents all that is evil. As you can see they are both in perfect balance, and are locked by the purple diamond in the middle. The purpose of this seal is to keep a lock on hell"**_ answered Kyuubi.

Naruto was getting more confused with every word that Kyuubi was saying. "Wait...Why do I have to keep a lock on hell?"

Kyuubi spoke with a matter of fact tone._**"As you already know, I'm the most powerful Bijuu ever formed, and the strongest demon of hell. By absorbing my chakra and mixing it with yours, the purple diamond was created to keep the good and evil of this world at balance. It is your duty to stay alive and keep order in this world. If you are to die, then the lock will be broken, and let's just say that 'all hell will break loose' "**_

Naruto was sitting in the lake in complete and utter shock. This was more than he had bargained for. He was only fifteen years old and already he was given this tremendous duty. He thought being a jinchuuriki was bad enough, but now knowing that he was essentially the one thing that kept this world at balance was completely mind-blowing. But suddenly another feeling came into play. Dare he say it was pride? He felt as if he was actually really important. Was this the answer that he had long been waiting for? All of a sudden a smile grew on his face.

Naruto began jumping up and down splashing water everywhere. He started created massive tidal waves which kept crashing into his meditating clones, but they continued to ignore the disturbance. Naruto started laughing so hard that his ribs started to hurt. "FOX! This is GREAT! This is the answer I have always been searching for!"

Kyuubi was quite curious to know why the boy would be so happy at this news when most others would want to be tearing their hearts out. _**"Care to explain why you are so happy brat?"**_

Naruto stopped jumping but couldn't stop smiling. "Don't you understand fox, all those people in the village hated me for something I couldn't control. They always called me a demon and told me to die saying it would be the best for everyone. However, now it's totally different because if I die, then they will all die too! Their existence depends on my survival! Can't you see the irony here? I'm essentially the thing that keeps them safe! They have no choice but to respect me now, because if they say anything bad about me, they are totally screwed!"

Naruto continued to laugh and started jumping in the water again. Kyuubi just shook his head unable to realize how the boy could always keep a smile on his face even in the most dire of situations. After a few hours of jumping and splashing Naruto finally passed out from exhaustion and just floated on his back, the smile never disappearing from his face.

His training process continued just as last year and when he felt satisfied with the results, he opened the demon scroll and removed the seal for the demonic water jutsu.

It was called '**Kiri no ****Akuma Ketsueki**' and was almost similar to the '**Kirigakure no Jutsu**'except the mist wasn't made from water vapor, but rather demon's blood. Whoever entered the mist would feel as if they had acid poured into their eyes and down their throats. Basically any non demon would feel the effects. It took Naruto about 3 weeks to perfect the technique and he was able to contain the mist in a certain area without having it disperse away.

The second year of his training was over and Naruto began to become more confident in his abilities. Kyuubi reminded him that it was far from over and that his next element was wind.

* * *

**Fuuton-Age 16**

Naruto climbed a nearby mountain and reached the peak. There he repeated his training by creating his clones and having them split into two groups.

He informed his meditation group that when trying to mold their chakra for wind techniques, they would have to slowly breathe in the air through their nose and mold their chakra to it's rhythm. He went to his second group and asked them about their progress with the kenjutsu. They told him that they had gotten excellent control over extending and receding the blade as well as developing some new moves. Naruto gave a satisfied smile and told them to keep up the good work.

Naruto was amazed at how fast he was learning the wind techniques. Kyuubi told him that it was most likely due to the fact that he had a natural affinity towards it, and that it could prove to be his most lethal element. Naruto completed all of the human wind jutsu's with supreme ease. He even manipulated his '**Rasengan**'with wind to create**'Rasen Shuriken**', and didn't even need to have a clone help him to form it in his hand.

He opened the demon scroll of learning once again and opened the seal to the demon wind justu. It was called **'Gufuu ****no ****ato** Ikusen Reikon' a technique that created a white tornado from the souls of dead demons. The jutsu had two effects on an opponent. The first one was the incredibly loud shrieking noises that came from the tornado that could pierce anyone's ear drums. In fact, after Naruto performed the technique he saw a bunch of poor birds laying dead on the ground with blood coming out of their ears. The second effect was the furiousness of the tornado itself. One of Naruto's clones accidentally (actually it was more like another clone pushed him into it) got stuck in the tornado and when it finally dispersed the clone's body was twisted in so many different weird anatomical positions that Naruto could not believe to be humanly possible.

Naruto had completely mastered the wind element and still had two months left in his training. He asked Kyuubi if he should move onto the next element, but Kyuubi told him to open the scroll and look under the genjutsu section.

"Hold on a second fox, I suck at genjutsu! There is no way I can perform one, let alone escape it!" protested Naruto.

Kyuubi gave out a loud sigh._** "The only reason you suck at it is because you have never tried it! How can you be good at something if you never even did it! Look at the scroll and it will tell you the steps in order to perform it, even a knuckle head like you should be able to understand it"**_

Naruto gave out an angry growl, but was motivated to prove Kyuubi wrong that he wasn't a idiot. He looked at the genjutsu called, '**Akuma ****Seidou**'. The steps required to do it were listed as thus: first, the user had to focus on all of their negative thoughts/experiences in their mind. Then, they would have to move the chakra from their head into their eyes which would turn blood red. Whoever, was caught in it would be thrown into an alternate dimension created by the user. In Naruto's case the effected person would take his position when Naruto was younger and was harassed by the villagers who called him a demon. However, in this case the person effected by it wouldn't be harassed by humans, but rather by demons who would call them a worthless human, a far worse and most ironic scenario.

Naruto was quite hesitant to perform this technique because he didn't want to relive his horrible childhood. Kyuubi told him that he should only perform it when it was necessary, but for the time being he should at least practice sending chakra from his head to his eyes. Kyuubi also informed him that whenever he meet someone who could perform powerful genjutsu's, in order to counter it he had to just disrupt the chakra flow in his head so the attacker couldn't manipulate it to create the illusion.

The third year of training was over and Naruto moved onto the fourth element, earth.

* * *

**Doton-Age 17**

Naruto climbed down from the mountain and entered the cave beneath it. He began his descent down the cave until he reached nearly four hundred feet below the surface. The atmosphere was intensely cold and it was very dark. Naruto open one of his scrolls and took out a flash light. As soon as he turned it on, he saw a million little critters skitter out of every corner and rush all around him. After that he decided it would be best to just let his eyes develop to the darkness.

As he continued his exploration he found a spot with over a thousand pointed rocks sticking from out of the ground. Naruto thought that this would be the perfect place to start his training. Just like before he created his two groups of clones. The meditation group all had to sit on one of the pointed rocks and concentrate on molding their chakra. Naruto felt that if they could withstand the pain the rocks put their bodies through, they should be able to correctly mold the chakra for earth techniques.

Naruto was very fortunate to find a large assortment of diamonds in the cave. He told his clones to try and pierce the diamonds with their swords. This in fact proved to be quite a difficult task as all the clones were struggling with just trying to crack the surface of the diamonds. While the original Naruto watched his clones performing their duties his eyes caught site of a particularly interesting diamond. He went over to it and examined it carefully. It was indeed very beautiful and sparkled brightly amongst all the other ones.

Naruto took out his own blade and cut the diamond out (though it took him a few months to do it) and placed it in his valuables scroll."This should come in handy later, hehehe"

Naruto training was going as well as he had hoped and he learned how to do the human jutsu's. Though he refrained from practicing too much because he didn't want to disturb the creatures in the vicinity, who weren't to happy with the loud noise level.

He reopened the demon scroll of learning and removed the seal from the demon jutsu. '**Doton: Shinkou Ga-goiru**' a technique that created gargoyle statues from the ground. Each gargoyle had two blades in their arms, and would swing them at any nearby enemies. Naruto practiced this jutsu for the last three months of his training and managed to finally create gargoyles out of solid rock instead of plain dirt.

Naruto was happy that only one year was left for his training. Kyuubi told him to go climb back up to the top of the mountain and complete his final elemental training, lightening.

* * *

**Raiton-Age 18**

Naruto reached the peak of the mountain he had been on a year ago and began the last part of his training. He recreated his clone army but this time didn't have them go into two separate groups. He felt very comfortable with his kenjutsu skills and needed as many clones as possible to learn lightening. His mediation group sat down for the last time ever. Now trying to mold his chakra for lightening proved to be quite a difficult task but Naruto formulated a good plan.

He made his clones try to focus on the electrical pulses that their nerves sent throughout their bodies central nervous system. By concentrating on the electrical charges the clones would be able to breakdown the basic contents of electricity. The clones tried to synchronize their chakra flow with the electrical pulses and tried to replicate it. Since lightening proved to be the most difficult element to master, Naruto spent twelve hours a day meditating and the remaining four hours practicing jutsu's.

Like all of his previous training as time went by Naruto was able to learn the human lightening jutsu's. The clone training proved to quite beneficial as it let him master the element which normally would have taken him a few years to learn, in less than one year.

Naruto opened the demon scroll of learning for the last time. He placed his thumb over the seal and pumped some chakra into it. As he spread his thumb over the seal, he saw a little white spark occur before the jutsu was revealed. '**Raiton: Akuma Shinzui**' a jutsu that would create artificial thunder clouds in the air and make a female lighting spirit who would attack enemies with her lightening techniques.

Naruto performed the necessary hand signs in order to do the jutsu and looked up into the sky as he heard the cracking noise of black thunder clouds being created. He saw the center of the clouds forming a miniature whirlpool and then suddenly a single lighting bolt shot out and he saw the female figure appear before his eyes.

Naruto instantly got a major nose bleed upon seeing her. She looked exactly like the girl from his '**Oiroke no Jutsu**' except she wasn't covered by puffs of smoke. Naruto instantly broke from his gaze as he saw the angry look from the spirit who began shooting lightening bolts at him. _I guess I shouldn't have been staring for so long! But, this is going to be so perfect for certain people hehehe... _

Not wanting to get electrocuted by an enraged lighting spirit, he quickly dispelled the jutsu and sat down on the ground.

It was finally over; his training was complete and he felt this new power surging all throughout him.

"So fox, I guess it's time to go back huh?" he asked.

Kyuubi gave a blatant reply. "_**Yes, I believe it is time you should return, the point of the whole training was so you would be respected by those ignorant villagers"**_

Naruto just sighed as he sat on the ground. It had been over five years since he last saw anyone from his village. He wondered how everyone would be doing. He thought of all his friends and how much they would have changed. He thought about all his teachers Iruka, Kakashi, and Jiriaya; what would they think of his new improvements? He thought about Tsunade and how she would react when he finally returned, would she be happy that he came back or knock him out for leaving without a note? And what about Sasuke? Naruto knew how jealous he got at his rapid improvements,would his return be a repeat of their last fight?

But most of all, he wondered about his pink haired friend. Would she still remember him? It had been a really long time since they last saw each other, would she have forgotten him by now? Naruto touched the forehead protector he had gotten from her. Even with all of his intense training he managed to not get a single scratch on it. When he wore it, he felt like a piece of her was always with him, as he could somehow smell her scent on it. He wondered how much she would have changed, and whether she was still the same hot-headed, intelligent, and beautiful girl, who grabbed his heart when he first laid eyes on her. Naruto got up off the ground and pointed towards his village.

"Well I guess the only way to find out is to head back! Look out Konoha! Naruto Uzumaki is coming back, and with a vengeance!"

* * *

**Kunrin no ****Houka - **Reign of Fire (mine!) 

**Shishou Fuuin**- Four Image Seal (original)

**Hakke no Fuuin Shiki** - Eight Divination Signs Seal Style (original)

**Kiri no ****Akuma Ketsueki **- Demon's Blood Mist (mine!)

**Kirigakure no Jutsu - **Hidden Mist Technique (original)

**Rasengan **- Spiral Sphere (original)

**Rasen Shuriken - **Spiral Shuriken (original)

**Gufuu ****no ****ato** Ikusen Reikon - Tornado of a Thousand Souls (mine!)

**Akuma ****Seidou - **Demon's Sanctuary (mine!)

**Doton: Shinkou Ga-goiru - **Earth Rising Gargoyles (mine!)

**Raiton: Akuma Shinzui - **Demon Spirit of Lightening (mine!)

**Oiroke no Jutsu** - Sexy Technique (original)

**Author's Note:** Alas, the training arc has finally been completed! Next chapter, Naruto returns back to his village and is in store for a _major_ surprise! What can it be? Or Who could it be? You just have to read the next chapter to find out!

* * *


	7. Ah Hell No!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But I had this amazing dream last night (again) that Kishimoto was handing over the copyrights to me, and they were right in the grasps of my hands but then...my alarm clock woke me up...and I broke it...**

**Author's Note:** At last the well awaited return has arrived! Just so you know, everyone in the story looks like they do in the manga post timeskip, except for Sasuke (cause he didn't go to Orochimaru), and I will describe his outfit later. This is my longest chapter so far and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read the fic, and thanks more to the people who left a review; your comments/suggestions help make writing this fic worthwhile! Also, I need to buy a new alarm clock...

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi/Ryuunosuke/Summon_" **means Inner Sakura, Kyuubi, Ryuunosuke, or Summon speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 7: Ah Hell No!**

Naruto was casually walking back towards his village with his hands resting on the back of his head. He was only a few miles away and his body was tingling with a weird sensation. Was it nervousness or excitement? You could say it was more of a combination of the two. It had been over five years so of course it was no surprise that he felt this way. Naruto was only a couple of miles away when he saw black smoke rising from his village. Curious to see the source of this smoke, he jumped onto a tree and increased his speed towards the village. Once he was close enough his eyes widened in shock as he saw witnessed the site before him.

* * *

Kakashi snapped the neck of another oto-nin. He quickly turned around and round house kicked the one coming from behind him. However, he wasn't fast enough to catch the other one to his right who bit down into his shoulder. He grimaced in pain, but grabbed the ninja's head and flipped him onto the ground. When he looked back up he was surrounded by over fifteen other ones who all had the curse mark spreading over their bodies. 

"Prepare to die Copy Ninja, Kakashi" one of them said before they all rushed towards him. Kakashi prepared for the attack but stopped when all of the attackers fell to the ground as a flash of light spread around him.

"You really must be getting old Kakashi-sensei"

Kakashi turned around to see his student behind him. He was holding a bloodied chokuto in his right hand and and had the **Chidori Nagashi** dispersing from his body. He had deactivated his sharingan after the attack. Kakashi took a well deserved deep breath and covered his left eye with his hitai-ate before speaking.

"Sasuke, I thought you were helping at the east gate; and wasn't Sakura with you?"

Sasuke walked towards his teacher as he cleaned the blood off his sword. "The east gate has collapsed and everyone there has evacuated. We placed some explosive tags to stop the oncoming forces so that will buy us some time. As for Sakura, I think she went to help out in the front gate, that's were the worst of the damage is"

Kakashi simply sighed. The surprise attack had indeed caught the village off guard. He had been at his apartment reading the newest installment of the Ica Ica series, when he heard a loud bang come from outside and saw three humongous snakes crashing through the village walls and beginning their onslaught. Jiriaya had managed to kill the snakes with his toad summon, but the village still wasn't prepared for the massive troops of oto-nin that came. They had all been infected by the curse mark and proved to be quite strong adversaries.

Kakashi looked up at the Hokage tower and saw the fight ensuing between Jiriaya and Orochimaru, while Tsunade was fighting with Kabuto. He knew that Konoha had suffered many casualties and were on the brink of collapsing; they would need one _hell _of a miracle to somehow get out of this. And as if right on cue his prayers were answered when he felt a surge of power come from the front gates.

"Sasuke..."

"Yeah, I feel it too..."

Kakashi looked into his student's onyx eyes and knew exactly what he was thinking. This chakra that he felt, it seemed familiar to him, but felt different as well. He wasn't too sure, and there was only one way to find out.

"Come on let's head to the front gatea. There we will support the others and find out where this new power is coming from"

Sasuke just nodded and followed next to him.

* * *

"**Konoha Senpuu" **screamed the green spandex wearing shinobi as he knocked three oto-nin's into a tree causing them to fall unconscious. He stood back up and brushed the dust off his outfit. 

"Neji, I believe that makes eighteen for me; how many are you at?"

Neji Hyuuga had his byukagen activated and was currently in his Gentle Fist fighting stance striking down six oto shinobi that surrounded him. After he had defeated the ninjas he turned to his teammate.

"Lee, this is not the time for one your self imposed competitions, we must protect are home from the invading forces. But...if you must know I'm now at twenty four"

Rock Lee started to cry and tears fell down his face. He balled his fist and held it in front of his face. "Neji, my rival, I will not lose to you or to the oto-nin. I'm in the spring time of my youth and that is what keeps me motivated. If I do not defeat you in taking out more enemies, I will run five hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"

Neji was about to respond, but didn't have the chance to when four more oto shinobi came out of no where. They were almost a few feet away from the two leaf-nin, but immediately screamed out in pain and fell lifelessly to the ground. Both members of Team Gai looked at the dead bodies and saw some shuriken stuck in the back of their heads. They looked up and saw their female teammate closing her giant scroll.

"You two need to stop fooling around and pay attention. We are needed at the front gates. The Suna reinforcements have arrived and are taking care of the west gate with Shikamaru and Chouji, so we are no longer needed here"

They were about to depart when they were hit by the new source of energy. Neji, who still had his byakugan activated began to search for the source, but couldn't find anything. He turned around to his teammate's who also had a look of awe on their face.

"Lee, TenTen, did you feel that? That incredible chakra...I've never felt anything like that before...But, somehow it feels familiar..."

TenTen had her eyes wide open and was actually clutching her arms as if this new source of chakra brought fear into her. Lee was no different, as he stared in the direction of the front gate with his shoulders slouched and his arms dangling.

After what felt like forever Lee finally spoke. "We must hurry and get to the front gates. We do not know whether this new source his an ally or enemy, so we must be on our guard" With those words he dashed towards the direction of the new power as his teammates followed suit.

* * *

"**Gatsuuga"** yelled Kiba, as he and Akamaru rammed into five oto-nin knocking them flat onto the ground. However, they recovered quickly, and got up to charge towards Kiba, the curse mark spreading across their bodies. Kiba was sitting on top of Akamaru and was getting ready for the attack, but heard a buzzing noise come from behind him and quickly ducked his head to avoid the swarm of Kikaichu bugs flying past him. The bugs entered into the mouthes and noses of the enemy ninja and began clogging up the openings. The oto shinobi struggled to get rid of the bugs, but were unsuccessful and instantly fell to the floor as they suffocated to death. 

Kiba turned around to his teammate who appeared from out of the shadows. "Thanks Shino for saving my ass, that stupid curse mark makes it a real bitch to kill those guys"

Shino just nodded and pointed towards the west gate. "Our Suna allies have arrived and are managing to hold off the enemy forces. However, I fear that they cannot hold out for much longer, because the enemy is advancing. Hinata has reported to me that we are needed in the front; it seems as if chaos has broken a loose"

Kiba just shook his head and looked down at Akamaru. He sensed something weird going on with him as he saw his paws slightly shaking.

Kiba was quite curious to see what could be troubling his companion. "Hey Akamaru, what's up bud?"

"Arfph..." was the large dog's only reply.

Kiba looked up at the front gates and that was went it suddenly hit him. He began to shake just as Akamaru did as felt a cold chill hit him, causing goosebumps to arise on his arms. It was weird. This new chakra, it was almost scary, yet familiar at the same time, as if he had felt it before.

He looked over to Shino, who despite having his face covered by a hood and sunglasses looked as if he too had felt it.

"Come on Shino, we need to hurry and help at the front gates. Hop on Akamaru's back it will be quicker"

Shino just nodded as he took a seat behind Kiba and secured himself as the large white dog carried them towards the front gates.

* * *

"**Sabaku Kyuu**" yelled the Kazekage as he encased eighty oto jounin into the large sand coffin. As he closed his hand tightly he yelled, "**Sabaku Sousou****"**causing the large coffin to constrict and crush the ninjas, leaving nothing but blood and bone fragments on the ground. 

He then turned his gaze towards the west gate and saw possibly over a thousand oto ninja coming at him. He was totally out numbered as he only had a few hundred Suna shinobi left, most of whom were injured. The Konoha shinobi weren't any doing any better as only fourty of fifty were able to fight.

"This is really going to troublesome ah Kazekage-sama" said a voice coming up to his right.

Gaara turned his head to his right as he saw Shikamaru Nara take a puff of his cigarette and blow the smoke through his nose as he stood next to him, with Chouji to his right.

He took the cigarette out from his mouth before speaking. "There was no warning about an attack, just a loud explosion. I was peacefully watching the clouds go by, when I heard it. They definitely had the element of surprise on us, and now we are suffering because of it"

"Even if they did have the element of surprise, we cannot simply give up. We must do everything in our power to defeat them" said Chouji.

Gaara then looked back towards the west gate. His fellow Suna ninja were being slaughtered right before him, their was no mercy from the enemy they were intent on killing everyone, a definite side effect of the curse mark on their bodies.

Finally after a long silence he spoke. "It seems as if we have little hope now. All we can do is continue to fight till the bitter end"

The oto forces came closer towards the three shinobi. Gaara, Shikamaru, and Chouji prepared for the attack, but were surprised when the oto-nin suddenly retreated. They all were running away towards the front entrance.

Shikamaru stood there with a confused expression on his face. "What do you think that was about?"

He turned to look at Gaara, but got even more confused when he saw his face. Fear? Could the great Kazekage have been actually frightened? His eyes were wide and slightly shaking. Shikamaru noticed that he was looking in the direction of where the oto jounin had left towards the front gates. He turned to his right and saw Chouji was no different, the expression on his face was as if someone had called him the 'forbidden word'. As Shikamaru stared towards the front gates that was when he suddenly felt it. His body gave a cold shiver as he was hit by the invisible force of energy. Now he understood why even Gaara was afraid. It was a weird sensation. It scared him, yet he felt something else about it as well. It seemed so familiar yet he couldn't quite point his finger on it.

As if he was reading his mind Gaara finally broke the silence. "We must hurry and go to the front gates...I believe that we will find our answer there"

Shikamaru took one last puff of his cigarette before dropping it do the ground and stomping it out. He and Chouji quickly followed behind Gaara as they headed for the entrance.

* * *

Jiraiya turned his head to the left as he dodged a strike from the Kusanagi coming out of Orochimaru's mouth. 

His back was hunched and he was panting deeply. They had been going at it for almost an hour with neither of them faltering. He looked to his right and saw Tsunade was fairing no better then he was. Even though Kabuto was young, he was a highly skilled ninja and an even better medic-nin, maybe even on par with Tsunade herself.

Jiraiya was quickly broken from his thoughts as Orochimaru launched another attack at him. He quickly jumped out of the way and landed next to Tsunade who was also breathing heavily as her many attacks failed to hit Kabuto.

"KuKuKuKu...You two are really getting old and it's starting to take it's toll. I may have lost against Sarutobi-sensei, but this time I will have my revenge"

Tsunade became enraged and slammed her fist on the roof top creating a mini fissure. "Shut up you snake freak, you know that you will never be able to defeat Konoha! As long as one ninja is alive the will of fire will continue to burn your ass to the ground!"

Orochimaru gave out a maniacal laugh. "Really Tsunade that speech is getting redundant. Did you know that was the same thing the old man said to me right before he died? Will you share the same fate as he did? I think its about time to fin..."

He couldn't finish his sentence as he too suddenly felt the wave of invisible energy hit him. His smile turned to a frown as he was trying to think where he sensed this power from before. It brought a weird feeling inside of him. It seemed part evil and yet part good. What kind of power was this?

Suddenly one of his oto-nin came up to him. "Orochimaru-sama, you are needed at the front entrance. You must see what is happening!"

Orochimaru gritted his teeth with anger. He pulled a kunai out of his pouch and launched it at the jounin's forehead, instantly killing him. He then turned to his left and spoke: "Kabuto, we must go and resolve this situation before it becomes trouble"

Kabuto just nodded and made some hand signs before both of them puffed away in a cloud of white smoke.

A confused Tsunade turned to Jiriaya and spoke: "Jiriaya what the hell was that about?" She didn't get a response as his eyes were fixated on the front entrance. He had felt it right after Orochimaru, this new energy was incredible, but it was also an enigma. He couldn't imagine who could have had this much power. He quickly grabbed Tsunade's hand, who would have normally knocked his lights out, but after seeing the look on his face decided to refrain from it. They both followed towards the front entrance just as everyone else in the village had.

* * *

Sakura launched another chakra induced punch at the ground causing a mini fissure that engulfed six oto shinobi. She regained her composure and wiped the blood off her cheek before checking her surrounding. No better word than chaos could describe the scene she was witnessing. It was an all out war zone with blood being splattered everywhere, and screams of people dieing could be heard every few seconds. Unfortunately, the screams were coming from her fellow comrades as she saw one of them have his arm ripped off by a oto-nin. To say she was scared would be putting it nicely, she was down right terrified. All of the oto shinobi had the curse mark spread over there bodies; she remembered when it first happened to Sasuke at the Forest of Death and how scary he looked. And now witnessing a whole army of them destroying her home was truly a nightmare. 

She broke from her thoughts when her body felt a cold shiver go up her spine. _What was that I just felt? It felt so weird...What..Who_ could_ have this kind of chakra? And why does it feel so familiar..Could this be...WHAT THE FUCK!?!_

The ground began to shake furiously not only beneath her feet, but all around her. Everyone that was engaged in combat suddenly stopped when they felt the earth itself shaking. The area was becoming unstable and nearly everyone fell to the ground as if an earthquake was occurring.

Suddenly they all looked at the direction in front of them and saw the ground beginning to shake violently, causing a huge crack to open. Everyone looked towards the opening and were shocked when they saw two large black gates slowly appearing form the ground. They rose over fifty feet into the air before stopping. The gates had spikes all around it's edges and had many demonic symbols plastered on the gate. It was as if time itself stood still as everyone gazed upon the incredible and scary site. _Where did this come from? Who did this? What is it?_ Were the questions running through everyone's mind.

As they all focused upon the black gates, everyone's heart skipped a beat as they heard the gates start to rumble and suddenly open.

* * *

Naruto had cut his palm and placed his hands together. He poured in as much chakra as he thought was necessary. It took him only five minutes to gather the appropriate amount to bring open the gates as he saw them rise in front of him. His only hope was that no one had recognized his chakra because that would ruin the surprise, and then it wouldn't be any fun. It was a good thing that when he was staying in hell that he made sure the demons would not attack any shinobi from the leaf. When he had addressed them all, he was surprised by the initial respect that they gave him. It seems as if fear could prove to be a powerful tool after all. He promised them that whoever they killed would become their reward for their services, a prize that was much appreciated amongst the demon community. 

Once the gates had fully risen Naruto couldn't help hold back the huge grin appearing on his face as he was about to say the one word that he wanted to say for such a long time.

"Kai..."

* * *

The gates opened very slowly and kept everyone on their toes as they anticipated what would come outside. Once they were fully opened the only thing they saw was a large black swirling portal. For the next few minutes nothing happened at all; silence consumed the landscape and the tension in the air was thick. A few people started to break their gaze from the site but quickly turned back when they heard a shrieking sound pierce the silence. All eyes were focused on the black portal which was now engulfed in flames. That was when they came out. First it was only a few, then it was about a hundred, and before not to long there appeared to be over a thousand demons coming out and charging towards the village. 

There appearance gave everyone a feeling of fear and disgust, even those infected by the curse mark. There were some who had multiple heads, arms, leg, eyes, mouths, anything you could think of. They consisted of all different types of colors such as, red, blue, green, purple, orange, yellow, every damn color imaginable. There were some that were only a few feet in height, while others who towered over the rest. And they were getting closer by the second. Everyone in the vicinity began to panic. They started running in all different directions hoping they wouldn't become victim to these creature's.

It wasn't too long before the screaming started and blood was being splattered everywhere. One by one the oto-nin were begin hunted down by these vile creatures who tore at their flesh and began to devour them; there were some who were still alive and witnessed as their very own bodies were being eaten in front of them. All of the Konoha shinobi headed for the village, hoping to seek protection from the creatures.

The Hokage, who was standing on the top of the wall next to her former teammate had her mouth wide open as she saw the massacre occur before her eyes. The screams were bad enough in her mind, but when she saw the carnage happen before her very own eyes she couldn't help but retch into her mouth. The demons showed no mercy whatsoever, and none were spared from their wrath. A pool of blood started to arise on the ground and carried on top of it the remains of what were formerly human body parts. She could only think of one sick bastard that could do such a thing like this, but then when she saw who exactly was being slaughtered she started to wonder who was really behind this.

She finally broke from her trance and spoke. "Jir..Jiraiya..., do you see what is happening her? Only the oto-nin are being killed...I can't see any Konoha shinobi down there at all...Don't you find that kind of odd?"

Jiraiya had a stern look on his face. He too just like her thought that only Orochimaru could be capable of this, but when he looked over to his left the expression on Orochimaru face told otherwise. Suddenly he saw Kabuto cutting Orochimaru's forearms to draw some blood before placing his hand on the ground. In a giant puff of smoke appeared the humongous purple snake Manda.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade who just frowned as they both bit their thumbs and slammed it onto the ground, summoning Gamabunta and Katsuyu.

One after another three giant puffs of smoke covered the village as the summons towered over the landscape.

* * *

"_**Orochimaru...I told you I wanted a hundred sacrifices the next time you summoned me...WHERE ARE THEY!" **_yelled the giant purple grass snake. 

Orochimaru spoke in a very serious tone. "You need not worry Manda, just help me against this new threat and you shall be well fed" Manda looked down and saw the countless dead bodies of his summoner's forces laying in the blood drenched ground; he was quite interested now to see this new threat.

"_**Jiriaya this little quarrel with that stupid snake is getting old, I think it's time to finish this" **_yelled Gamabunta as he drew out his sword.

"Manda is not the problem Gamabunta, there is another power amongst us" Jiriaya said as he pointed towards the direction of the black gates where all the demons were lined up. Gamabunta was quite curious to see who this new power belong too.

"_**Tsunade-sama, Is this new power friend or foe?" **_said Katsuyu.

"I'm not sure Katsuyu, but we must still be on our guard" she answered.

All of the Konoha shinobi were at the entrance of the gate in total awe of the site of the three great summons of the legendary sannin. But, they were also amazed at seeing all the demons lined up in front of the black gates. Everyone of them were afraid, but also surprised because the demons had not attacked a single ninja from Konoha. The rookie eight and Team Gai were all standing together in complete silence awaiting in anticipation to see what would happen next.

Shikamaru was the first to break the silence. "Was it just me or did anybody else feel something familiar about that chakra earlier?"

Everyone looked at him and one by one gave a nod. Ino was the next one to talk. "It was a really weird feeling...when I first felt it, it made my whole body shiver...but then something about it made me feel as if I sensed it before..."

They all looked at her and knew that that was exactly what they all were thinking. Sakura was standing with her arms crossed against her chest. She too had a weird feeling about it; It was indeed scary, but something about it made her feel as if it was recognizable somewhere in her mind. She was about to say something else, but stopped when the earth began to shake again. Everybody braced themselves for the shock wave which got stronger with every passing second.

Shikamaru just sighed. "What the hell is happening NOW?"

That was the last thing everyone heard before they heard the sound of the earth cracking outside the gates and everyone rushed to see what it was.

* * *

Naruto was just laughing out loud when he saw the three giant summons appear before him. "Hey fox, can this day get any better? I have been waiting five long years to do this! I guess it's time to bring out _my _summon!" 

Kyuubi just snorted._**"Just don't try to show off too much brat"**_

Naruto just had a huge grin on his face as he pulled out the dragon dagger from his belt and stabbed it into his chest before planting it into the ground. The ground began to shake vigorously and he saw the earth opening up in front of him. He quickly picked up the dagger and dashed towards the cracking ground and jumped onto an emerging Ryuunosuke's back and ran up his body to stand on top of his head.

* * *

Everybody was at the front gates taking in the scene that occurred before them. There was giant crater in the middle of the ground with hot magma and lava inside of it. That was when they saw the giant black dragon shoot into the sky with a chain falling from it's neck; it's wings blew a gust so strong that everyone had to hold onto something in order to not get blown away. The dragon flew up high into the air, before finally settling down beside the black gates. It was nearly twice as big as all the other summons and they saw a small figure on top of his head, but to everyone it appeared as just a black dot. 

All of the summons were standing there in complete shock. Gamabunta was the first one to break out of the gaze and speak.

"_**Jiriaya you crazy old pervert! Why the hell did you summon me for him! That is the most dangerous summon in this entire world! He is even on par with Kyuubi no Yoko! I'm in no mood to became his dinner!"**_

Somewhere in Naruto's head Kyuubi was yelling about how that tadpole wouldn't be insulting him if he still had his body. Naruto just laughed at the remark.

Manda was the next one to speak. "_**The fat toad is right Orochimaru; Ryuunosuke is no normal summon. In order to get his contract you must be truly powerful and no amount of sacrifices will make me fight him"**_

Orochimaru gritted his teeth with anger as he heard the words of his summon. He like everyone else was wandering who this person, if it was a person, could be to bring forth the great Ryuunosuke.

Ryuunosuke stared at all the smaller summons and blew some flames through his nostrils at them. All the summons quickly backed up to avoid the oncoming fire.

Ryuunosuke had an evil grin on his face. _**"I wonder what I will feast on tonight. I have quite a few options..Roasted toad, fried snake, or sauteed slug...hmm how about them all? **_He said as he showed more of his fangs.

All three of the summons where literally scared out of their minds. Jiriaya almost slipped from the sweat forming on top of Gamabunta's head, Orochimaru was grabbing on tightly as he felt Manda shaking, and Tsunade was clutching one of Katsuya's antenna's because she was ready to burst into a million mini clones of herself.

Naruto had to suppress a laugh at the site and for the first time made his presence known by speaking. "I'm afraid Ryuunosuke that the only option you have is fried snake. I prefer to keep the other two alive"

Ryuunosuke turned his gaze toward Manda and licked his lips. _**"As you wish, Naruto-dono"**_

Those two words were all that was needed to drop everyone's jaws to the ground. _Naruto? Dono? _Was the Apocalypse going to occur before them? Had the demon child come back to seek his revenge?

* * *

Tsunade's body instantly froze and her eyes bulged out of her sockets when she heard those words. _Naruto?!? It can't be! This power is incredible! How could he have this kind of chakra? He did learn the Rasengan in a week, but this energy he is emitting takes decades to achieve...Is it really him?_

* * *

Jiraiya's face became even more grim than before as his speculation had come to be true. _I knew something felt odd about that chakra...The kid has improved far beyond I ever thought possible. But, I can't sense whether he is using his chakra or Kyuubi's. Naruto...What have you done? Or is it that really you?_

* * *

Gamabunta was sweating like crazy and his pipe actually dropped from his mouth._OH SHIT! I knew I shouldn't have been mean to that little squirt! How in the world was he able to get Ryuunosuke's contract?!? I better apologize to the kid before I get fried!_

* * *

Orochimaru's face became hardened and looked as if he was ready to kill the person next to him. _The __jinchuuriki __brat has returned? But, he isn't using the Kyuubi's chakra...What is this new chakra? I have never felt anything like this before...It may prove to be quite a problem..._

* * *

Kabuto turned his head to the left and looked into the cold eyes of the snake sannin. He stiffened when he saw his master's face._ Orochimaru-sama does not look so happy...I can't believe that it's that blond brat sitting on top of the dragon's head. I hope Orochimaru-sama can think of something quickly before things turn ugly..._

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. _It seems my instincts have proven to be true...Naruto...How have you gained this power? This new chakra is different from Kyuubi's...It seems even more scarier than his..._

* * *

Sasuke felt something strange boiling inside of him as he used his sharingan to get a closer look on top of Ryuunosuke's head. _Naruto...How do you keep doing it? How are you always able to surpass me...What do you have that I do not? Why is it that luck always favors you? What have you done to become like this?_

* * *

Gaara had his arms crossed as he stared up at the into the sky._ Uzumaki Naruto...I cannot sense your demon at all...If I cannot sense him, how is it that you are still alive? What have you become?_

* * *

Shikamaru's cigarette dropped from his mouth and feel to the ground. _How does that guy keep doing it? Whenever I see him he continues to get stronger. He's always saving this villages ass and this time it seems no different. Or will it be?_

* * *

Chouji stood next to Shikamaru. He had a look on his face as if someone told him that he won a free lifetime supply of barbecue pork. _Is that really Naruto? This chakra he is giving off is crazy! But, why has he returned after so long? And why now?_

* * *

Ino mouth was wide open as she looked up at the humongous dragon. _That's Naruto? No way! This chakra he is giving off is unreal! There is no way in hell that's Naruto..._

* * *

Neji had his byakugan activated and was inspecting Naruto's chakra system._ I've never seen this kind of purple chakra before...and there is huge concentration of it in his abdomen. This chakra he is giving off is more powerful then the one he had during the Chunnin exams...Naruto...Just what have you been doing these last five years?_

* * *

Lee like everyone else gazed up at Naruto, his eyes wide with disbelieve. _Naruto-kun...You continue to amaze me in every way...Your resolve and determination can be matched by no one...That is why I must continue to train everyday to hope to become as strong as you..._

* * *

TenTen wsas looking at Neji and when she saw the look on his face she couldn't help but frown as she looked back up at Ryuunosuke._ Wait...that's the kid who fought Neji-kun at the Chunnin exams. I was shocked when he actually beat him, but this time he's so different...This chakra I'm feeling is scary...I just hope he doesn't use it against us..._

* * *

Kiba was standing on Akamaru's back as he tried to get a better view of Naruto. _Damn! Naruto is so crazy! How does he keep getting so strong!?! I'm really glad that I'm one of his friends or else I'd be in one of those demons mouth! Wait...did that huge fucking dragon just call him dono? What the fuck!?!?_

* * *

Shino's stance was unbreakable, but he felt as if he was stung by a bee and it actually hurt. _He is no ordinary person...This power is unfathomable...How did he gain this kind of power?_

* * *

Hinata's body was trembling and she felt her heart beating tremendously, but didn't know if it was because she was happy or scared shitless._ Naruto-kun you have come back! But, you are so different...And why are there demons around you...You continue to get stronger everyday...How do you do it?_

* * *

Sakura had a huge smile on her face as she touched the blue forehead protector that was warped around her pink hair. 

_HE'S BACK! I knew it! I knew he'd always come back! He never breaks his promises! _

_**Cha! That's right, because it's his nindo! Naruto would never break a promise to us!**_

_Yeah...But he looks so different...and how did he summon all those demons and that huge dragon! Wait...can this really be Naruto? _

_**What are you talking about? OF COURSE It's him! Didn't you feel his chakra earlier? It **__**can only belong to him!**_

_Yeah that's true...but something about it feels odd...it felt a little weird ..I'm not sure if it is him..._

_**Hmmm, well I guess we won't know until he does something...And I think he just made his first move! Get ready!**_

* * *

Everyone was broken from their thoughts when Ryuunosuke launched a giant fireball right at Manda who was immediately engulfed by it. When the flames cleared there was nothing left but shed snake skin. Ryuunosuke quickly took to the air as the ground beneath him began to shake and Manda jumped into the air and wrapped it's body around Ryunnosuke's legs, bringing the massive dragon down to the ground. The giant purple snake began coiling itself around the dragon's body, but suddenly stopped when Ryuunosuke bit down on Manda's neck and twisted it, causing the grass snake to scream out in pain. 

Everyone turned their head toward the direction of the two large summons who were interlocked with one another. They were looking at the top of Ryuunosuke's head for any site of Naruto, but found that he wasn't there anymore. When they turned to look at Orochimaru they saw a look of complete fear on his face, and it almost seemed if he had turned from pale white to clearly transparent. Naruto was right behind him with a kunai next to his head.

Naruto had grabbed Orochimaru from under his armpits and held a kunai in his ear. He leaned into his left ear and spoke with a killer voice. "Sorry to hamper your plans Orochimaru, but no one dare attacks my village and lives without any consequences" and with those last words he rammed the kunai into his head and saw the blood spurt out. Naruto normally would have been satisfied with his work, but had a disappointed expression on his face as Orochimaru had done a kawarimi with the person next to him and Naruto was holding the dead body of Kabuto in his arms.

He dropped the gray haired ninja and turned around to look at a _very_anger Orochimaru.

"I will have my revenge boy...mark my words" said the Otokage.

And with those last words Orochimaru did some hand signs as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before anyone else could even notice, Naruto was quickly on top of of Ryuunosuke's head (who had dropped a dead Manda to the ground) and was now facing the large crowd in front of him with his demon army surrounded around Ryuunosuke's feet.

He was staring at everyone in the village. His face was expressionless so no one could tell what he was really thinking. Naruto looked down at the crowd and saw all his friends together looking up at him with awe. He couldn't help but mentally smile inside his head. _Hehehe, i'm not one to show off but this still feels great! _He then turned his focus to Gamabunta and Katsuyu. He saw Tsunade looking right at him and he thought he saw a few tears in her eyes. He looked over to his left and saw Jiraiya keeping a stoic face, but he knew that deep down he was confused just as everyone else. He then look at his demon army and knew that if they stayed out any longer they would probably get hungry again, so he thought it was about time they returned home.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a loud voice. "Demons, I appreciate your help but it is now time for you to return; I think you all have been well fed by now"

All of Konoha looked at the demons and could see most of them covered in human blood, some who were still chewing on human body parts. They all just nodded and yelled, "As you wish Naruto-dono"

_Naruto-dono AGAIN? _Everyone just stood their in shock. How could Naruto command so much respect from such vile creatures? Was this the real Naruto or some sick joke? One by one the demon's walked back to the gates and entered the black portal. As the last ones stepped in and disappeared, Naruto simply snapped his fingers and the gates began to close and sink back into the ground as it sealed back up.

Now all that was left was Naruto standing on top of Ryuunosuke's head, and the people of Konoha who were visibly shaking in fear. Had he come to seek his revenge on them for all those times they treated him so badly? But, then why would he have his demons only attack the oto-nin's and then send them back after Orochimaru had left? The word of the day went from chaos to confusion.

Naruto could easily see the look of fear in everybody's eyes. He looked back up at Tsunade who had her head faced down with tearing falling down her face. Naruto just gave her a kind smile as he started to talk. "Why are you crying Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade looked up at the boy as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Na..Naruto...is that really you?"

Naruto just stared at her for a while before breaking out in loud laughter that could be heard by everyone. Now people were even more confused. Had he become senile with power? The phrase 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely' came to mind. As his laughter came to a halt he straightening his demeanor before speaking again. "Jeez Tsunade-baachan, that medical jutsu that keeps you young may fool everybody else, but I really know that you are a fifty year old hag who's eye sight seems to be getting worse"

That settled it. Only Naruto would have the guts to insult the Hokage knowing pretty well what the consequences would be. Tsunade's face went from that of sorrow to complete anger as she knew her favorite little blond haired idiot had returned. "Listen you brat, I'm glad your back, but expect to lose a couple of teeth for just disappearing like that. Where the HELL have you been!"

Naruto started laughing again, and even Ryuunosuke gave out a grunt that could be seen as a laugh, which really scared the shit out of the everyone. After he finally stopped laughing Naruto spoke again. "Well Tsunade-baachan wouldn't _you_ like to know? I'd really like to tell you, but right now wouldn't it be more important to take care of the injured? Once you do that I'll come to your office and explain everything"

Tsunade smiled because she knew only Naruto would be so caring and concerned for others. Yet, this new chakra made her feel slightly uneasy and she definitely wanted to know what he had been up to these last five years. But more importantly, she knew she had to say a certain few words.

"Naruto, on behalf of all of Konoha, I want to say thank you for saving us. I'm really happy to see you finally back"

Naruto gave her his infamous foxy grin before he spoke. "There is no need to be thanking me Tsunade-baachan, this is my village too. Plus, I had to return because I made a promise to someone; and I'm not one to break promises" he said while poking his forehead protector with his thumb.

Everyone was confused at his statement except for a certain pink haired girl. Sakura looked up at Naruto with a smile as she touched the hitai-ate he had traded with her more than five years ago. She wore it everyday because even though she had the picture of Team 7 together, wearing the hitai-ate made her feel as if he was always by her side.

_Hai Naruto, you never break your promises. I'm just happy to see you finally back._

_**He's looks so cool! he finally got rid of that ugly orange jumpsuit! Oh, we have to thank him for saving not only us but this whole village! He really is something!**  
_

Sakura smiled at the words of her inner self. She felt really guilty because he always looked out for her even if she didn't seem interested in him. But, somewhere deep inside of her she felt as if this Naruto was different from the one she remembered. Even though his face looked somewhat the same, she felt as if there was something deeper inside of him that he was possibly hiding. He did summon those black gates with demons coming out of it and he summoned the black dragon. When she saw those demons coming out of the gates and how evil they looked, she was scared out of her mind. And to now know that Naruto was the one that did it confused her even more.

_Naruto...I'm starting to think you broke your promise..You seem different...Is this really the real you? _

Sakura felt a hand on her right shoulder and she turned to see Kakashi looking at her with a smile under his mask and his visible eye in a half crescent form. "We'll meet him at Tsunade-sama's office. I'm sure he's just as excited to see all of us, as we are to see him"

Sakura looked back at all her friends and could tell they wanted to meet Naruto as well. She smiled and walked with everyone to the Hokage's office to see just how much he had really changed, and if he had indeed kept part of his promise to her.

* * *

**Chidori Nagashi **- Thousand Birds Current (original)**  
**

**Konoha Senpuu - **Leaf Whirlwind (original)

**Gatsuuga -** Dual Piercing Fang (original)

**Sabaku Kyuu -** Desert Coffin (original)

**Sabaku Sousou **- Desert Funeral (original)

**Author's Note: **How'd you like this chapter? Yeah Naruto is crazy powerful (but not invincible). I read a lot of fics where they make him into a wimp who let's the villagers beat him up, and some in which he gets depressed about killing someone...He's a FREAKING ninja, he is supposed to kill people, if he doesn't want to kill people then he shouldn't have been a ninja in the first place! Sorry about ranting but, whenever I read fics that make him really weak and OOC with being more emotional than he already is, it really ticks me off...Next chapter Naruto and Sakura finally meet each other after five years; and just to let you know she is not in love with him...as of now...I mean she hasn't seen him in five years so she has to get to know him. And what author doesn't love reviews?


	8. Respect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But i sent a letter to Kishimoto challenging him to duel over the copyrights for it about a month ago...still waiting for his response... **

**Author's Note:** I'm glad to see that a lot of people liked the last chapter as well as this story. Like always thanks to those who read it, and thanks more to those who reviewed it. I guess i'm doing a pretty good job since i haven't had a negative comment or flame so thanks!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"**_Inner Sakura/Kyuubi_" **means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 8: Respect**

Even though Konoha had been severely weakened by the surprise attack from Orochimaru, Naruto had arrived just in time to save the inner part of the village from being damaged too badly. Most of the damage was on the outskirt vicinities and only a few buildings had been destroyed. Those who were injured had been sent to the hospital to be taken care of, and those who had died were honored in a funeral service. The villagers, who had been secretly hidden within one of Konoha's underground hideouts, were all released and returned back to their homes.

The rumors had spread quickly about Naruto's return and the power he possessed, which was felt by nearly everyone. Many began to fear for their lives as they felt that the demon child had come to finish them once and for all. There were those who said he only killed Orochimaru's forces because he wanted to save Konoha for himself to destroy. It seemed as if no matter what Naruto did, people only saw him as Kyuubi no Yoko.

Naruto was escorted by two ANBU Black Ops into the Hokage's office. When he entered through the door he was greeted by a site of: Tsunade sitting at her desk, Homura Mitkado and Koharu Utatane in their council seats, all of the leaders of the various clans positioned around the room, all of the Rookie 8 and Team Gai standing in the back corner, Kakashi and Shizune standing on the right side of the room, and Jiraiya leaning against the window with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Everyone had a grim look on their face, and that was something Naruto couldn't stand, so he decided to break the ice with a little bit of humor.

"Hehe this is quite the welcoming party you guys have set up for me"

Everyone focused their eyes on him, but no one smiled. They were all scared as well. That power they felt was unimaginable, and the site of the black gates which the demons came through, as well as the appearance of Ryuunosuke had really troubled them. Tsunade looked directly at Naruto. He looked more mature, and was a lot taller than she last saw him. His hair had grown a bit longer and his whisker marks were slightly faded but still visible. His eyes were still the sapphire blue she remembered them to be. He wore all black except for the strip of orange on his gloves, and the white bandages wrapped around his wrists and ankles. She noticed the sword hilt and dragon dagger on the right side of his belt. If the saying 'the clothes make the man' was in fact true, then Naruto was certainly a straight up bad ass.

The room was silent for a few more minutes before Tsunade finally spoke. "Naruto...How?"

Naruto looked at her with a huge grin on his face. "How what?"

This enraged Homura Mitkado who got up off his chair and pointed at him. "Don't mock us boy, you know exactly what she is asking! How did you summon those gates and that humongous dragon? No human can pose such a powerful chakra!"

Naruto looked at the old and continued to smile. "Was it really that powerful? That's kind of funny because I was only using fifty percent of it"

Everyone in the room was shocked at those words. Only _fifty percent_? What kind of insane chakra was this? How was it even possible? Was he lying to them? Yet, when he had arrived it looked as if he didn't even break a sweat.

Naruto just looked around the room at the dazed faces. His smile continued to get bigger as he saw the surprised looks on everyone's faces. He turned back to the old man and spoke again. "Oh yeah, and just to let you know it wasn't _his _chakra, it was all _mine_"

Now everyone was even more confused. All the older people in the room knew he was referring to Kyuubi, but the younger generation were clueless. Naruto noticed this and averted his attention back to the front of the room. "I see you haven't told them about Konoha's biggest secret have you? I think it would be best to tell them now. I know it was kept a secret for my protection, but I think I will be able to defend myself just fine"

Tsunade looked at the council members and the clan heads. No one had raised any objection so it seemed as if they were in silent agreement. She looked at Jiraiya who simply gave her a nod showing his approval. Tsunade took a deep breath and looked towards the Rookie eight and Team Gai. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Very well. I'm sure all of you have learned in your history classes during your academy days about the attack by the Kyuubi no Yoko eighteen years ago?"

All of the them simply nodded their heads wondering why that subject was being brought up.

Tsunade looked at their confused faces and knew this wasn't going to be easy for them to understand. "So, you must also know that the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed himself in order to seal the Kitsune and save this village"

"_**Fucking bastard!" **_yelled Kyuubi inside Naruto's head, who just gave out a snicker causing everyone to look at him. He simply motioned with his hand to continue as he tried his best to suppress a laugh.

Tsunade gave him a slightly angry look before continuing. "The Kyuubi no Yoko was the most powerful demon in this world. One swing of it's nine tails could destroy mountains and cause Tsunamis. In reality, it was impossible to seal him entirely in one person, so the Yondaime sealed part of the Bijuu within himself, and the other part in a new born child"

Tsunade just sighed before revealing the next bit of information. "That new born child happens to be none other than Naruto Uzumaki..."

Instantly everyone of the younger shinobi's eyes went wide with shock. They all knew how much people hated Kyuubi and the horrible memories he would bring to them. Then all the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together as they remembered how bad Naruto was treated when he was younger. They remembered people insulting him, throwing rocks at him, and every other horrible thing imaginable. They remembered how everyone's parents including their own told them to stay away from Naruto because he was a 'bad kid'.

This realization made Sakura squirm inside. _Naruto...I was so mean to you when we were younger...I just followed the trend like everyone else...I never knew that you carried such a horrible burden... _A single tear fell from her left eye as she realized how bad she used to treat him.

Naruto didn't bother to turn around because he had to throw everyone another surprise. "Yeah...It was true that Kyuubi was sealed inside of me...That is until I removed the seal..."

"WHAT!!!!"

Everyone turned around to see none other than Jiraiya standing with a look of complete shock on his face. He had been there when the Yondaime had done the sealing. He knew the working of the seal and how it was supposed to slowly leak the nine tailed foxes chakra into Naruto's system. But, if Naruto had removed the seal, he should have been dead, because Kyuubi's chakra was toxic and would kill any normal person's chakra system causing instant death. Yet, there he stood, with a foxy grin plastered on his face.

Jiraiya vigorously shook his head before speaking. "Naruto...You have to explain what exactly you have been up to these past five years"

Naruto gave out a small laugh before consulting his memories and recapping his entire training to them. He told them about how he ripped the seal off Kyuubi's cage and absorbed his chakra (he skipped the part about Sakura, Orochimaru, and Sasuke). He told them about entering hell and getting the demon scroll of learning from the blue haired demon. He told them about entering Ryuunosuke's lair and getting his contract. And finally he gave them a bleak outline of his training. When all was said and done, everyone in the room was sitting with shocked, confused, and fearful expressions on their faces, except for Naruto who was grinning from ear to ear.

Tsunade was leaning against the back of her chair taking in all the information that she was just given. All she wanted was a nice bottle of sake to take her mind off the situation. After everyone had enough time to soak in the information she spoke again. "Naruto...What do you plan to do with this power?"

Naruto's smile soon disappeared and was replaced by a more serious expression. There was no need to smile about what he had to say next. This was why he had trained so hard these last five years. All that time spent away alone by himself, training in the most grueling areas in earth and in hell in the most extreme of conditions had been to achieve what he wanted most,_respect._

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everyone watched him with perplexing eyes wondering what he had to say. When he finally opened his eyes, Naruto looked straight forward not focusing on anyone in particular, so it seemed as if he was looking at everybody at the same time. "What do I plan to do with this power you say? I'm guessing you all think I'm going to use it to kill everyone isn't that right? To get my revenge for the shit way people always treated me. To kill everyone who called me names and threw rocks at me. To kill everyone who used to ambush me and attack me. To kill everyone who entered my apartment and vandalized it. To kill everyone that ever gave me a dirty look. To kill every fucking person in this fucking village...ISN"T THAT RIGHT! "

He was practically screaming at everyone with a few tears rolling down his cheeks. His chakra began to flare and he was covered in a light purple aura. Everyone in the room backed up, afraid he was going to explode. He was breathing a little hard and his fists were clenched tight. His usual kind face was replaced with that of anger and sorrow. All those years of suffering had began to resurface. The mask that he used to cover up his pain had cracked and was broken. He was wearing his true emotions on his sleeve.

Finally after a few minutes he calmed down again, but his rage was still evident. He scoped the room in front of him. Tsunade had a look of fear and sadness on her face. Her eyes looked a bit red as she forced her tears back. Jiriaya was simply staring at the floor trying not to make eye contact. The council members were terrified for their lives and were literally shaking. All the clan leaders had their heads down, apparently in deep thought. Kakashi had his arms crossed against his chest and maintained the same posture as Jiriaya. Shizune squeezed Tonton tightly in her arms as she tried to force back tears as well.

Naruto turned his head to his friends and noticed that everyone was looking in a different direction. He looked at Sakura and saw her clutching her arms and had a few tears sliding down her cheeks. He looked at Sasuke who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. It seemed as if no one wanted to see this side of Naruto. The side that he had hidden from everyone in order to protect them from his full fury. But, there was only a certain point that a person could withstand before they eventually faltered.

Naruto turned his head back to the front of the room. He wiped the few tears off his face before speaking again. "Do you know how it feels to be blamed for something that is beyond your control? Do you know what it's like to carry a burden that you have no choice over? Do you know what it feels like to be the scape goat of everyone else's fear and hatred? Do you know what it's like to be called a demon and a monster? Do I look like a fucking demon to you? Do you see any fucking horns and claws on my body? Are you all so blind that you forget what a real demon looks like? Well, how about I refresh your memory"

And with those words he quickly snapped his fingers and a small fire erupted in front of everyone and a _real _demon took it's place. It was about five feet tall and was red colored with impish features. It had a single horn on it's forehead, and long sharp claws on it's hands and feet. It had a wide jaw that carried many sharp teeth and it's appearance was truly frightening. Everyone in the room instantly became scared and backed up as far as possible. They all stared at the vile creature as Naruto stood next to it.

Naruto's face was still filled with anger. This was not the boy that everyone remembered. This wasn't the kid that always had a smile on his face no matter how bad the situation was. This was the boy who was locked inside of Naruto. The boy who he pushed so deep into his subconsciousness that he hoped that he had died. Unfortunately, the emotional scars were still their, even if the physical ones weren't as visible.

Naruto pointed his left index finger at the despicable beast. "Do you see any resemble between us two? Do we look anything alike whatsoever? Does this look like a six year old boy to you? Does this look like someone who wouldn't retaliate when a crowd of people attack you and throw sharp objects at you? Does this look like someone who would tolerate any shit from someone? How far do I have to go to prove my point? Do I have to show you every single fucking difference between us!"

After saying those words he took out his chakra sword with his left hand and cut his right forearm. Then, in less than a second he swung the sword and slashed the head of the demon who gave out a loud shriek as soon as the blade hit it's neck and green blood started spurting out from it's neck. Everyone in the room became shocked at the action before them. The demon's body fell lifelessly to the ground and it's head rolled to the side, as green blood was spilling all over the floor. Naruto's right arm was covered in red blood and began dripping onto the floor. He didn't bother to use his chakra to heal the wound because he wanted to make a point.

He raised his right arm in front of everyone so they could see it. "We don't even share the same blood. So why is it that people can call me a 'demon child' when our bloods are two different colors! I was nothing like a demon! But now that I've absorbed Kyuubi's chakra I have become truly powerful! I have become so powerful that these demons give me the proper respect that I always wanted. So to answer your question about what I'm going to do with my power, its quite simple. I'm going to gain some well deserved respect. I tried be nice and kind to people, but they treated me like shit. This time it's going to be different; I will finally get the respect that I always _deserved _no matter how I have to get it!"

He finally calmed down and closed his eyes. It was finally done. He had released all the feelings of hate that were built inside of him. He no longer had to wear the fake mask. He had said what he needed to and there was nothing left. After his outburst he finally smiled, and it wasn't the fake smile he held up, this was the real smile that he always wanted to wear. He looked up at everyone. Everyone had backed up as far away from him as possible afraid by his sudden change. He looked at his right arm which was completely healed. He turned his head down to his left and saw the mutilated body of the red demon. He snapped his left fingers and caused the demon to disintegrate in a burst of flames.

He looked back up at everyone and wiped the last tears of his face. "You guys can relax now, if I wanted you all dead it would have been done by now. You have to realize that all I wanted was some simple respect. But after the years I finally know that respect is not given, it is earned through hard work and determination. It took me more than five years to finally be able to get it. Now that I answered your question, I have one of my own"

Everyone in the room took their positions back in their seats. Jiriaya stood up straight and stood next to the Hokage's desk, with Shizune to his left. Kakashi stood next to his two students as all the younger shinobi's paid careful attention to Naruto. Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him tentatively, awaiting for what he had to say.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked directly at Tsunade. "Do you guys want me back? Do you want me to stay? I will leave that decision up to you. If you don't want me to stay, then I will leave and find someplace else; no grudges will be held. But, if you want me to stay...then I can guarantee you I will protect this village with everything I have"

Tsunade bit her bottom lip as she took in his words. Of course you would want him to stay, she loved him like a younger brother. But, she wasn't to sure what the council members or the clan leaders would say. _Why the hell am I thinking like this? I'm the damn Hokage, I can do whatever I want! Naruto...i do want you to stay...yes, I don't care what all these old geezers think, you are definitely going to stay!_

Tsunade took a deep breath and stood up from her chair. She cleared her throat and spoke in a loud voice. "Naruto, I'm glad to see you finally back and I want you to stay. This is your home just like everyone elses. I also know that you want to stay because you are still wearing that Konoha headband. It would be a pleasure, no an honor, for you to stay here once again"

Naruto smiled and gave out a loud laugh. He knew she was going to tell him to stay, but the look on the council members faces told him otherwise. He knew that they hated him and would do anything to kill him. So, in order to hamper their hopes he decided to throw them a little loop hole.

"I'm glad to see you want me to stay Tsunade-baachan (left eye twitches, but maintains posture), but I'm sure there are some people here who would say otherwise. Of course they can't disagree with you because you are the Hokage, but that doesn't mean they won't use certain other methods to 'eliminate me'. However, if I die, a far worse fate awaits you all..."

Everyone in the room raised an eyebrow wondering what he could be saying. Naruto just laughed as he lifted his shirt with his left arm to reveal his abdomen and show the new seal formed on his stomach. Everyone looked at the seal and became quite curious to know what it was. Even Jiriaya who was a seal master had never seen it before.

Naruto used his right index finger to describe the seal. "This blue portion on the left side is my chakra, and represents all that is good. The red portion on the right side is Kyuubi's chakra, and represents all that is evil. Now when our chakra's merged, the purple diamond was formed in the middle to keep a lock on both of our chakra's keeping them at balance"

Everyone carefully examined the seal from their positions as Naruto continued to speak. "By absorbing Kyuubi's chakra, I was able to gain some of his demonic abilities, such as being able to summon those black gates you saw earlier. If I am to die by unnatural causes, the lock that keeps our chakra in balance will break and so will the lock that keeps those gates closed"

Naruto happened to be the only one grinning in the room, everyone else were sitting their with confused faces. Jiriaya was the first person to speak. "Naruto, what are you trying to say?"

Naruto looked at his former sensei and spoke. "What I'm trying to tell you guys is that if you think I'm going to be a problem and it would be best to assassinate me, then you have another thing coming to you, because when I die, those black gates are going to come back up, and I won't be alive to close them..."

Everyone in the room began to gasp. The black gates were up for only half an hour and it had scared the shit out of everyone. What would it be like if they never closed? It basically meant a free entry for every demon into the human world. This was definitely a huge loophole to be given.

Naruto fixed his attire and stretched his body. He looked back at the Hokage and spoke again. "Tsunade-baachan, (vein pops on forehead, but_ still _remains posture) now that everything has been cleared up...am I going to be reinstated as a ninja?"

Tsunade looked at Kakashi who gave her a smile under his mask and nodded his head. Tsunade gave him a slight nod and turned back to Naruto. "Yes Naruto you will be reinstated back into your former team. However, the reinstating process will take about a week so you have some chance to relax and getting back on some catching up with your old friends"

Naruto just smiled and looked at the Rookie 8 and Team Gai; everyone gave him a reassuring smile, but Naruto smile turned into a frown because his teammates where no where in sight. He turned to Kakashi and ask him where they went. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, where did Sakura-chan and Sasuke go?"

Kakashi looked at the blond haired shinobi and spoke. "I think Sakura told me she was going to our old training grounds, and Sasuke..."

He didn't finish his sentence because Naruto had ran out the door in a flash.

* * *

Naruto was running along the streets as fast as he could. Team seven's training grounds was a good fifteen minutes from the Hokage's tower, but Naruto concentrated some chakra onto his feet to give himself an added boost of speed which allowed him to reach their in less than two minutes. 

Once arriving on the spot, he saw Sakura staring at the wooden post that he had been tied to during the bell test, her back to him. He slowly and quietly walked up behind her.

When he was just a few feet away from her she spoke. "Stop right there.."

Naruto stopped and stood their confused. "What? Hey it's just me Naruto"

Sakura didn't turn around to look at him, she just stood there with her back to him. She had her arms crossed against her chest and continued to stare at the wooden post. After a couple of minutes she spoke again. "You broke your promise"

Naruto was even more confused. _What is she talking about? I came back didn't I? It may have been a long time, but I did come back!_

Naruto continued to stand a few feet behind her as he spoke. "What are you talking about? I came back just like I said I would. It may have have been a little bit long, but I did what I said i would; I think I've pretty much kept my promise"

Sakura still didn't turn around. She was happy and sad at the same time. Sure she was happy he came back, but he wasn't the same person she remembered. She took a deep breath and talked once again. "Don't tell me you forgot your own promise...You said you'd comeback as the same person...your not the Naruto I remember"

Naruto raised his left eyebrow at the remark. Her words were confusing him more by the second. Did she not like the new cool Naruto? The _almost_ god-like Naruto who single handedly saved the village? Maybe it was his outburst earlier at the office. But, that wasn't really him, that was the person he had suppressed inside himself who he had to release because he would torment him for the rest of his life. He didn't understand what she was saying. "Sakura-chan, I don't get what you are trying to say.."

Sakura still didn't turn around. She couldn't face this person. He wasn't Naruto, he was somebody else. "You may look like him, but you're different than he was. He wasn't the kind of person that would do what you did earlier"

Naruto continued to stare at her back. He examined her body and couldn't help but notice how womanly she had become. She had gotten rid of her old outfit and donned a new attire that fit well to her new body. She wore a red sleeveless shirt and pink mini skirt over a pair of black shorts. The clothes helped show off her voluptuous curves and Naruto couldn't help but smirk as an idea came into his head.

"Sakura-chan, I know it's been a while since we last saw each other, so we've been both doing a lot of growing up, you especially..."

Sakura felt a quick breeze hit her and something poking her from behind. A blush formed on her face when she realized what part of her body was exactly being touched.

Naruto was on his knees behind her as he spoke. "Is it just me, or has your ass gotten a lot bigger than the last time I saw you?"

Sakura's blush quickly disappeared and a vein popped on her forehead. Before you could even saw the word _wow _she had spun around and launched a super chakra induced left hook at Naruto's jaw sending the poor shinobi flying back and crashing into a tree.

"NARUTO YOU PERVERT!!!!" she screamed.

"_**SHANNARO, That felt good!**_**"**

"_Yeah...wait...which part?_

"_**hehehe...**__"_

Sakura's blush reappeared after realizing what her inner self was referring to. She quickly shook her head and ran over to a disgruntled Naruto who was slow to getting back up. He brushed the dirt off his clothes and stood next to the pink haired girl. Even after the hit, he had a foxy grin on his face. "Jeez Sakura-chan, you've really gotten a lot stronger than the last time I saw you! But anyways...still think I'm not the real Naruto?"

Sakura gave him an angry glare, but inside was actually happy that he had indeed kept his promise, even though what he did wasn't the best of ways to prove it. "Yeah I guess you still seem the same, but I can't be fully sure..."

Naruto brought his left thumb and index finger to his chin as he tried to think of another way to prove to her he was still the same. An idea quickly popped into his head. "Well...how about I prove it you with a date tomorrow?"

After saying those words he closed his eyes and quickly put his hands up to defend himself from another oncoming punch. When after a few seconds he wasn't sent flying backwards, he reopened his eyes to see a smiling Sakura which really troubled him.

Sakura continued to stand next to him and smile. "Well normally I would say no...but since it's been a while since we last saw each other I'll make an exception"

Naruto instantly smiled and jumped into the air with excitement. Sakura just giggled at his reaction as she slowly started to see the old Naruto reemerge. After Naruto was done jumping in victory he turned back to Sakura. "So I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow?"

Sakura gave him a nod. "That would be good, as long as we aren't going out for ramen!"

Naruto gave her a small frown but then smiled again because she had actually accepted. "Great! Well I got to go home and rest up a bit, it's nice to finally have the chance to relax! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

Naruto quickly set off to run back to his place, but stopped when he felt Sakura holding onto his wrist. He turned around to see her giving him a genuine smile. "Naruto, I'm glad you kept your promise. I knew you'd never break it"

Naruto smiled as he removed his hand from her grasp and gave her a thumbs up. "Anything for you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura just smiled as they both said their goodbyes and left towards their respective homes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ok just to clarify something to some people who may find Naruto's outburst at the Hokage's office as OOC; if you want to read a fic where Naruto is a complete bitch and let's people walk over him, than this isn't the fic for you. Trust me, Naruto's attitude will not change from his original personality, but he isn't going to be weak and an emo retard in this one just to let you know. Also, that seal does not make him invincible meaning that no one will attempt to try and kill him cause then that would be just lame. As usual, thanks for reading this fic, and it would be nice if you left a review so i can see how this story is progressing. 


	9. Bond of Brothers and A Chance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But if you are wondering why Kishimoto didn't put up this week's chapter & said he was 'gathering materials' you can blame me.. **

**Author's Note: **This was honestly the hardest chapter to write thus far, and it took one entire night and six cups of coffee to complete! Just want to say thanks to those who read the last chapter, and thanks more to those who left a review.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch. 9: Bond of Brothers and A Chance**

Naruto rubbed his eyes and woke up as the sunlight pierced through his window. He sat up in bed and stretched his body. He had a huge migraine on his head due to his late night encounter with an old friend.

* * *

_Flashback_

Naruto was slowly walking back to his apartment through a shortcut in the park. He felt a presence of another figure following close behind him for the last few minutes. The figure gradually got closer to him and was now almost a few feet away lurking in the shadows. Naruto placed his left hand on his sword hilt and started counting backwards. _3,2,1._

He quickly spun around and formed a 3 foot blade that blocked the oncoming chokuto that was aimed for his neck. A blast of energy sparked between the two swords and caused both opponent's to jump backwards in order to avoid getting hurt. As Naruto landed on his feet he looked up and gazed at the figure in front of him. He had on the traditional jounin gear with a dark blue long sleeve shirt and pants. He wore a green vest over his torso and had the Konoha hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead. He had the three tomoe Sharingan activated and was staring directly at Naruto.

"Sasuke..."

The Uchiha dashed towards Naruto with his chokuto in his right hand. Naruto quickly raised his left hand and held his blade vertically as he blocked the horizontal slash going for his stomach. He then pushed his sword against the blade and tried to force it out of his opponent's hand. However, Sasuke just used the push to jump high into the air. Naruto looked up and saw him coming down to land a strike on his head. He quickly held his blade horizontally above his head and blocked Sasuke's attack from hitting him. Chakra dispersed between them as the two blades collided and forced them both to jump back again.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw the same expression he had on his face during their last fight. The killer intent was clearly visible in his eyes. "Sasuke, what are you doing? What is this about?"

Sasuke stood up straight as he held his sword in his right hand. He pointed at Naruto with his left index finger as he spoke. "Shut up you fucking hypocrite! You stopped me from leaving and becoming stronger, but then you just suddenly decide to leave and it's ok? Your nothing but a selfish bastard!"

Naruto took in the words and formulated a response. "You don't understand. The path you were taking was the wrong one. You didn't have to go to Orochimaru to get stronger, you could stay here and become just as powerful"

Sasuke didn't respond as he dashed again at Naruto with his chokuto pointed forward. Naruto prepared for the attack as he held his blade in front of him. He saw Sasuke coming towards his left side, but suddenly in a flash he disappeared. _SHIT! Where did he go?_ Naruto felt something hit his right arm as his bicep began to burn with a fury. He let out a loud scream as his right arm was scorched from the fire that was immersed from Sasuke's blade. Naruto's right shoulder went limp as the pain began to spread through his right arm. He spun around and saw Sasuke land towards the ground and sheath his blade. The flames quickly dispersed from is chokuto as it was covered.

_Damn! Sasuke got a lot faster! And he manipulated his fire element onto his blade as well. He's gotten a lot stronger, and having that Sharingan won't make it any easier to beat him! Fox, what should I do?_

"_**Those cursed Uchiha's and there damn Kekkei Genkai! He has become quite skilled with his Sharingan...but you do have a technique that can counter it...you must eliminate his eyes!**_ yelled Kyuubi.

Naruto thought about Kyuubi's word's and instantly realized what he was referring too. He put his sword hilt back on his belt and made a few hand signs before yelling, "**Kiri no Akuma Ketsueki**"

Sasuke turned back to look at Naruto as he saw him make the last hand signs. Quickly the scenery around him began to change and a red fog began to cover the landscape. Sasuke tried to escape it, but it quickly enclosed around him. Instantly his eyes began to burn with great intensity and he closed them quickly. He let out a loud scream as his mouth began to burn with a fury. He dropped his sword to the ground and clutched his throat. Every opening in his body began to burn. His nostrils began to flare up, and even his shut eyes were still stinging. He tried to get out of the red mist but stopped when he heard Naruto yell out something.

Naruto quickly dashed towards Sasuke with his chakra sword in front of him. Just as he was about to make contact with Sasuke he yelled out: "**Yon Fuu Akuma Higyou**"

Sasuke forced himself to open his eyes and all he saw was Naruto right in front of his face. He was unable to defend himself as he saw a yellow light covering Naruto's blade. He saw four flashes of light strike him and disappear in less than a second. Naruto went past him and landed on the ground. The red mist quickly dispersed away and Sasuke tried to turn around. However, he couldn't get his body to respond to the actions he wanted and fell onto his knees. His body wasn't correctly reacting to the messages his brain was sending. He tried to move but his body stayed limp. He let out an angry scream as he fell to the ground and laid on his stomach.

All Sasuke could do was lift his head up and rest his chin on the ground. He averted his eyes up and saw Naruto in front of him placing his sword onto his belt and standing next to him with his arms crossed against his chest. "What the hell did you do to me you bastard!" he yelled.

Naruto just shook his head as he looked down at his former comrade. "I manipulated the lightening element onto my blade and struck the four major nerves in your body that control your arms and legs. Right now your nervous system is confused because I created artificial electrical impulses that have screwed it up. Whenever you try to move a certain body part your nerves won't react properly because of the new interference"

Sasuke closed his eyes as the rage boiled inside of him. _How do I keep losing to him? How does he keep getting so damn strong! What have I been doing wrong!_  
Naruto saw the look on his face and tried to think of something to say. He stood there for a couple of minutes before something came to him. "Sasuke...why did you want to gain power so badly? Your already strong enough to almost cut off my enitre right arm...why do you need even more power?"

Sasuke looked up at the blond shinobi. He tried to move his body but he was still limp. He felt some weird things pulsing through his body but they were to faint to recognize. "You will never understand me. I need power so I can defeat _him_. He was the one that took everything away from me. He took everything I ever cared for and made me witness it twice. I will never forgive _him_ for what he has done. Because of _him_ I'm all alone...I will have my revenge and restore my clan's honor by killing _him_"

Naruto looked down at Sasuke. He saw a few tears running down his face and he couldn't help but feel sad inside. "Sasuke...trust me I understand your pain"

"Shut the fuck up! You will never understand what I went through! You can't come close to the pain I have suffered. The pain of being alone...never being able to see them again...I will never be able to find peace if I cannot bring justice to their deaths" yelled Sasuke.

Naruto had his arms crossed against his chest as he took in his words. "Alone...being by yourself...no one to turn too...no one to look out for you...trust me Sasuke...I know your pain all to well.." Sasuke looked up at him. "How about this Sasuke...Let us both understand each other's pain and see who has it worse...I know that Sharingan of your's can make me witness it, and I have a technique that can do the same. Let us both decide who has it worse and then justify whether what we did was right or wrong"

Sasuke continued to stare up at Naruto. This Naruto was different from the one he had remembered. Of course he had grown physically, but he also had grown mentally; he was more mature now. "How the hell I'm I supposed to get up with my body like this? I can't move a damn muscle!"

For the first time Naruto laughed out loud. "Don't worry you'll gain your motor functions back. I'm pretty sure you must be feeling some weird sensations going around your body right now. Those are the artificial pulses I put in your body that are screwing your nervous system up. All you have to do his manipulate your chakra for lightening to match their rhythm and then your body will return back to normal"

Sasuke took in Naruto's answer and proceeded to do as he said. He matched his chakra to the rhythm of the fake pulses and felt them disappear. As soon as they were gone, his body felt agile again and he was able to move. He was fatigued greatly and slowly stood up and faced Naruto. They both were in front of each other and were only a few feet away. They looked directly at each other and just stared for a few minutes. Sasuke was the first one to speak. "So I guess we will do this at the same time then huh? Fine, in the next minute we will both do our techniques at the same time and see who had it worse"

Naruto just nodded his head as he began to prepare for his technique. He closed his eyes and focused on all his negative thoughts and experiences. He did this for half a minute and then used his chakra to push them into his eyes. As he felt the technique getting ready and the minute being over he opened his eyes quickly.

"**Tsukuyomi**" yelled Sasuke.

"**Akuma Seidou" **yelled Naruto.

Both shinobi's were instantly thrown into the alternate dimension that were created.

* * *

_Alternate Dimension_

Naruto was at the Uchiha compound at night. The full moon illuminated the night and cast a bright white shadow on the ground. Instantly Naruto become shocked at the sight before him. There were dead bodies everywhere covered in blood. The streets were littered with men and women who had been gored without mercy. Then he suddenly saw a little boy running into the compound, it was a younger Sasuke. The look on his face was the same that Naruto's had been. He began to panic as he looked around at the dead bodies of his clan and started running through the streets. Naruto followed behind him as the younger Sasuke was going to each house and gazing upon the dead bodies. He then went into one room and saw his dead parents on the ground.

The younger Sasuke instantly fell to the ground and held his head at the gruesome sight. It was depressing Naruto to see the poor boy wallowing in tears as he saw the bloodied bodies of his parents on the ground and his older brother standing in front of him. Naruto saw the younger Sasuke's body go limp for a second and fall to the ground.

"Why did you do this brother?" he asked.

"They were just a measuring stick to test my strength against" said Itachi.

He then saw Sasuke run up and try to attack his brother, but instantly fell to the ground as Itachi launched a punch to his abdomen. Sasuke looked up and saw the dead bodies of his parents. He instantly became scared and ran away from Itachi begging him to not kill him. Itachi told him he wasn't worth it and that in order for Sasuke to kill him he must dwell himself in hate. The last thing that Naruto saw was a young Sasuke falling to the ground and crying his heart out.

* * *

Sasuke was in the middle of the streets in the village. He was surround by demons everywhere. There were all sort's of different colors and shapes. There were some who had over a thousand sharp teeth coming from there mouth and razor sharp claws. There were those who had multiple body parts including: heads, arms and legs. The site was horrifying to Sasuke as they all encircled around him. A purple demon with six eyes pointed at him. "You pathetic human! Why do you continue to stay in this village? Why don't you just die already so we can devour you flesh!" 

Sasuke stared at the figure. It was the most ugliest thing he had ever encountered and was plain disgusting to look at. Suddenly all the demons flashed and he saw them take the appearance of people from his village before transforming back. Another green demon with six arms pointed at him. "You retched being! Your very existence annoys us to no end! Will you not leave before we eat your carcass?"

All of the demons lunged at Sasuke and four of them grabbed his arms and legs. Sasuke tried to struggle out of their grasp, but they held on tight. He saw the demons beginning to claw at his body and he screamed out in pain. He stared all around him and saw the demons flashing into humans and then back into demons. He saw a demon grab his leg and started to chew on it. Sasuke screamed out in pain as his leg was ripped off. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. The demons were covered in his own blood and he felt each part of his body being torn at, yet he remained alive to witness it. He kept turning his head around and saw the demons flashing into people of his village every few seconds.

Suddenly he felt a jolt of pain in his abdomen and looked down to see a demon tear his stomach and his intestines spilling onto the ground. He yelled out a massive scream as the pain hit him, but he still remained arrive miraculously. Sasuke felt it go on for hours and hours as the demons continuously tore at his body and began to devour him. What troubled him even more was that they kept turning into people from his village and it was just plain horrifying.

_End Alternate Dimension_

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, but in reality only lasted one second, both shinobi's fell lifelessly to the ground and just laid there. They were both mentally broken and destroyed. They felt as if their brains had melted and their hearts had stopped. Each one of them felt the pain that the other did and finally realized why they had to get stronger. 

"I'm sorry" they both said simultaneously.

Naruto slowly stood up on one knee, resting his left elbow on top of it as he held his head in his palm. Sasuke was on both knees as he used both his arms to lift himself up. After a few minutes both stood up and looked at each other. They stared at each other, neither blinking or speaking for minutes.

"Naruto...I'm sorry I never understood your pain...being alone and hated by everyone...how could those bastards do that to just a child? I can't believe you went through all that shit your entire life and still managed to pull through..now I see why you did what you did" he said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke directly. He had his head down and his hands in his pockets. Naruto simply shook his head as he spoke. "No Sasuke, I'm the one who should be sorry...I was all alone from the beginning so I never knew what it felt like to have people important to you..You had that and lost it all in one night because of that bastard...I understand why you want him dead...but, I think I have a better idea"

Sasuke looked up at a somewhat smiling Naruto and raised his left eye brow in confusion. "Naruto, what do you have in mind?"

Naruto looked at him directly. "Itachi killed everyone in your clan because of some bullshit excuse...I understand that you want to kill him to get revenge, but if you kill him it's like you are letting him off the hook easily by not making him suffer for what he did. I think I have a better idea then just simply killing him...do what he did to you; take the one thing that is most precious to him..."

Sasuke took in his words and started to think them over. _What is most precious to him? I don't think he cares about anyone but himself and his power. Wait...that's it...that's what most precious to him_

Sasuke looked up and saw a grinning Naruto, and couldn't help but grin him self. "Take out his eyes huh? Well you sure have gotten a bit smarter dobe"

Naruto smiled at his comrades remark. "Thanks for the complement teme, but I wouldn't go around insulting the great Naruto-_dono_ if you know what's good for you"

Both shinobi's just stood their and laughed at the familiarity shared between them. Sasuke looked up at Naruto and stared directly at him. "Naruto, you are my greatest rival and best friend...but most of all you are the closest thing to a true brother..." Naruto looked at his friend and just grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way Sasuke. We will get stronger together and achieve all our goals!"

Sasuke picked up his chokuto and put it back in it's sheath. He walked up to Naruto and stood next to him. He put out his right hand in front of him and offered his respects. Naruto looked down and simply placed his own right hand on top of his as they both shook their hands in union.

_End Flashback_

* * *

Naruto let out a yawn as he got out of bed and headed for the shower. Today was going to be a good day. At eight he was to pick up Sakura from her place for their date. Naruto smiled as he had everything planned out. He picked the perfect place for them to eat, he had acquired a new outfit last night, and he got the Hokage to slip him some cash for his services (20 million ryou to be exact). Naruto got out of the shower and walked over to his couch in just his boxers. He sat there and just thought aimlessly. _Wow...I never thought I'd ever see this place again...it's good to be home I guess...hey fox, I finally got what I wanted, but I still feel like there are somethings that are missing.._

"_**Gaining respect was indeed why you initially got stronger, but there are those who still are after your power" **_said Kyuubi.

Naruto closed his eyes and began to ruffle his hair. His new power was a gift and a curse. He was indeed one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha now, but there were those who were quite possibly even stronger than him and wanted his power. _You mean Akatsuki fox...Yeah, I meet Itachi and that blue shark guy when me and Ero-sennin went to get Tsunade-baachan...Why are they after me anyways? _

"_**I do not know myself to be sure, but they were initially after me when I was sealed..that was still over six years ago..We do not know what there goals are now" **_said Kyuubi.

Naruto just shook his head and got up off the couch. He looked at the clock and noticed it was around two o' clock. He went and walked into his kitchen and opened up his pantry to get a dozen cups of instant ramen and set some water to boil. _Knowing Sakura-chan she won't let me order any ramen, so I guess I better enjoy it before tonight! _

Naruto opened each individual pack of ramen and pour the boiling water into them. He got a a pair of chopsticks from a drawer and began to consume as much as he could to satisfy his stomach.

* * *

Naruto knocked on the blue door of Sakura's apartment. He was so nervous that he was practically shaking. It's funny how a person can live in hell for over a year with nothing but demons as company, and yet be afraid of a single woman. Naruto wore a blue long sleeve collared shirt with a red sports jacket over it. He wore a pair of dark blue pants with black dress shoes. He had his hitai-ate wrapped around his waist as a belt. _Maybe I'm being too formal...I mean it's just a simple date...I hope Sakura-chan doesn't take this the wrong way.._

The blonde shinobi was broken from his inner ramblings as he heard the door opening and Sakura stepping outside. All of his previous thoughts were thrown out off his head. Sakura was wearing a light green kimono with a red sash tied around her waist and had on a pair of white sandals. The edges of the dress had white flowers aligned across it and her hair was pulled back with her hitai-ate. She wore light makeup on her face and had a pair of pearl earrings on. Sakura reached out with her left hand and closed Naruto's wide open jaw. She gave out a small giggle from seeing his reaction and could tell he wasn't expecting her to dress like this. _**Shannaro! We sure got him!**_

Naruto stopped staring at her and shook his head vigorously. "WOW! Sakura-chan you look great! I mean you always do, but tonight you look extra special nice!" Sakura gave out a small laugh at the boy's remarks. "You don't look too bad yourself Naruto, It's nice to see you have at least some fashion sense. So where we going?"

"I made reservations at the new Fondue restaurant that just opened up. Tsunade-baachan told me the food there is pretty good" he said. This time it was Sakura's jaw that fell open. "Naruto, I heard that place has five star service! Are you sure you can afford it?"

Naruto just gave her a smile and dismissed her remarks with a wave of his hand. "It's no problem Sakura-chan! But, if you rather go out for some ramen instead that be no problem either!" Sakura just shook her head before speaking. "I think we should stick with the first one since you already made reservations"

Naruto gave her a nod as he jumped up off her stairs and landed at the entrance. Sakura just laughed as she closed her door and walked down to him. The restaurant was only ten minutes away from Sakura's place so they both walked side by side in the streets. As they were walking, Sakura couldn't help but notice people stepping out of their way and creating a path for the two of them. She turned her head to the left and looked at Naruto who didn't seem to notice any difference in the way people were reacting to them.

They arrived at the restaurant and Naruto opened the door allowing Sakura to go in first as he followed after her. They stood in front of a man dressed in a black tuxedo who was attending his post at a stand. Naruto walked up to the man and pulled out a small card from his pocket and handed it to him. "Reservation for two, Uzumaki Naruto" The host looked up from his position and his eyes instantly popped from his sockets. He stretched out a shaking right hand as he grabbed the card and looked it over. After he finished reading it he looked back at the two shinobi's and nodded his head. "Right this way Na-Na-Naruto-dono"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the man's nervousness and at his addressing of Naruto, who simply had a grin on his face. They both followed behind the man as he led them to a private booth and placed two cups on the table and poured some tea into them. Naruto placed the order of Fondue Bressane for the two of them and the man in the black tuxedo just nodded as he quickly walked away. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little weird at the way people were treating them. Naruto had indeed changed a lot since they last meet, but never had she seen people act so strange around him. "Um Sakura-chan are you ok? You look like you have something on your mind" said Naruto with a hint of concern in his voice.

Sakura snapped away from her aimless gazing and looked at Naruto. She gave him a sincere smile before speaking. "It's nothing really Naruto, I just want to say thanks for taking me out to such a nice place"

Naruto was about to say something but their waitress had arrived and brought in a sliver pot with warm melted yellow cheese inside. She placed the pot in between the two and put a plate of assorted meats in front of them. Both Naruto and Sakura picked up their Fondue forks and simultaneously said, "Itadakimasu" before they proceeded to pick up a piece of meat and dip it the pot. The taste was incredible and the flavor was simply prodigious! Even Naruto had to admit it tasted almost as good as ramen and it wasn't too long before he was constantly dipping his fork every five seconds. Sakura was about to yell at him about having proper table manners, but just giggled at the Naruto's carefree nature. _I think that's what I missed about him most..he's always so open and does whatever he wants...I think maybe..._

"Uh Sakura-chan are you sure your ok? You've been dazing off a lot. Is there something you want to say?" Sakura looked up at him and saw him have a worried look on his face. "No Naruto just enjoying this great food!" she said cheerfully. Naruto just nodded as he put his fork down on his empty plate and took a sip of his tea. He looked back up at Sakura and saw her staring directly at him. There was a sudden silence between them and Naruto decided to make some conversation. "So...Sakura-chan, What have you been up to lately? Been doing a lot of training? That punch you gave me was a lot stronger then usual. I haven't been hit like that since me and Ero-sennin went to get Tsunade-baachan!"

Sakura gave a small laugh as she took a bite from her fork and placed it down. After swallowing she spoke. "Well the reason it was so stronger is because I was Tsunade-shishou's apprentice for a few years. She taught me how to control my chakra, as well as perform medical ninjutsu"

Naruto gave her a surprised look that brought a smile to the pink haired girl's face. _Damn! If the old hag has been teaching her then she must really be strong! I better watch what I say to her unless I want to lose a few billion brain cells!_

Naruto heard Kyuubi snort in the back of his mind. _**"This is exactly why I should be in control...Scared of simple female..You truly disgust me...You have no problem killing my kind without any hesitation, yet you fear this woman in front of you..how pathetic..."**_

_Shut the hell up you damn furball! Sakura-chan is twice as scary as any demon when she gets angry..._

Naruto's conversation with Kyuubi was broken when he felt something sharp poking at his nose. He averted his eyes in front of him and saw Sakura stabbing him with her fork. "Hello! Earth to Naruto! Anyone there?" Naruto simply brushed the fork aside with his right hand and looked back up at a grinning Sakura. "Yeah I'm still here Sakura-chan there's no need to start stabbing me! Anyways, looks like we are done with the main course; how about some desert?"

Sakura gave him a smile but felt like he would end up spending too much money. "No Naruto it's alright I'm not in the mood for sweets" Naruto gave her a quizzical look before speaking. "Are you sure Sakura-chan? You know they have some excellent chocolate fondue served with your favorite fruit"

Sakura gave him a shocked look. _How does he know what my favorite fruit is? Maybe he's just guessing..._But before Sakura even knew it, the waitress had arrived and placed a small pot of melted milk chocolate in the middle of the table and two plates of strawberries in front of them. Sakura looked at Naruto with a shocked look but Naruto on the other hand had a foxy grin on his face. "Naruto, how did you know I liked strawberries?"

Naruto gave her a small laugh before answering her. "Well because whenever we went on mission together, I always saw you have a pack of strawberries in your lunch. You practically devoured them the instant you opened your lunch!"

Sakura smiled as she heard his words. She picked up her fork and grabbed a piece of fruit before dipping it in the chocolate and bringing it to her mouth. The taste instantly hit her mouth and brought a wonderful sensation to her. _Wow...he really does know a lot about me...and he's always does so much just for my sake...why? Why does he always do these things especially for me?_

"_**Maybe it's because he really likes you" **_said inner Sakura.

_What do you mean? He likes a lot of people, but he always goes out of his way just to make me happy..I don't deserve this kind of treatment..Yet, he continues to do it without asking for anything in return...What is it that makes hims do all this for me? What does he want from me?_

"_**Are you serious? Look into his eyes girl! He wants your love! He wants to be with you! I think it's time you gave him a chance already!!!" **_screamed inner Sakura.

Sakura brought another chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth and let the sweet juices roll around in her mouth. The taste was zestful and simply scrumptious that Sakura couldn't help but shiver with delight._Naruto...you really are an amazing and kind person...I'm not someone who deserves this kind of generosity..You deserve someone much better than me.._

They both finished their desert and Naruto paid the bill. They exited the restaurant and Naruto walked Sakura back to her place. It was around ten o' clock and moon illuminated the streets. They both walked together in silence and Naruto occasionally turned his head around to look at Sakura who was simply walking with her head cast down. _What's the matter with her? She looks like somebody told her that her dog died or something...Did she not like our date? Damn it! What did I do wrong this time!_

They had both arrived at the entrance to Sakura's apartment when she finally spoke. "Naruto.." he turned to his right to see her looking up at him. "Yes, Sakura-chan?" he asked curiously. Sakura stared into his sapphire blue eyes as she opened her mouth to speak. "Thanks for tonight and everything..but, I don't think we should be doing this anymore..It's not right..."

Naruto gave her a small frown. He was afraid she was going to say something like that. "Oh...Is it because of Sasuke? I'm sorry that I didn't know you two were together, I guess I shouldn't have just assumed..." The reaction that Naruto got was not what he expected to get in a million years. Sakura actually snorted at his comments. He looked at her questioningly wondering what she was going to say. "Naruto..are you really serious? I'm not a twelve year old girl anymore..I'm not as naive as I used to be. Did you know the night that Sasuke left I approached him"

Naruto's eyes opened up in shock as he never heard this part of the story. Sakura ignored his expression and continued. "I told him that I loved him with all my heart. I begged him to stay with me. I told him I would do anything for him, even help him in his revenge. When he didn't respond to me, I told him to take me with him so I could help him in anyway possible. And do you know what he said to me?"

Sakura looked up at Naruto with tears in her eyes. Naruto just squirmed inside at seeing her like that. "He told me I was annoying..." she sniffled as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "After that, I told him to not leave, and that if he did I would scream out loud...Before I knew it he was right behind me and he said 'thank you' to me" Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion wondering what Sakura was saying. Sakura looked away from him before she spoke again. "That's what he said before he knocked me out and walked away from the village. But, he didn't just walk away from the village that night...He walked away from my heart as well..." she said before she broke down in tears again.

Naruto couldn't stand to see her like this and grabbed her in a comforting hug. Sakura stood in his embrace as she sobbed away in his chest. Naruto just brushed the back of her hair trying his best to solace her. He felt angry at Sasuke for doing this to her and couldn't wait to knock the living shit out of him. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'll make sure Sasuke pays for what he's done to you"

Sakura laid her head against his chest as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "No Naruto it's not his fault. You can't force someone to love you if they don't want to. That's what I realized that day...that my love for him was a one-sided crush..." Naruto continued to stroke her pink hair trying his best to think of something to say. "Hey don't worry about it Sakura-chan, you still have me"

Sakura grimaced at his words and broke away from his embrace. Naruto gave her a confused look as she simply stared at the ground. "No Naruto, what I meant earlier was true. We shouldn't do this anymore because I don't deserve this kind of treatment. You are always so nice and kind to me. You go out of your way just to make a stupid girl like me happy...Even if I don't give you anything in return" Naruto was about to say something, but Sakura beat him to it. "When we were younger, I always called you annoying, and made fun of you..But, you still went out of your way to protect me..and I never once thanked you. I was just a complete cold hearted bitch to you"

Naruto was taken back by her choice of words. He couldn't believe Sakura was acting like this. Sakura let a few more tears fall from her eyes. "During the Chunnin exams when Gaara attacked me, I thought Sasuke-kun was the one that saved me, but he told me it was actually you...and then when he left, you were the one that brought him back for me. Then when Orochimaru invaded and the whole village was about to be destroyed you came back and saved not only me but everybody in Konoha...But, did I ever thank you? No..because once again I was just a complete bitch..."

Naruto couldn't stand to her hear talk like this. It was making feel deeply sad inside. "Sakura-chan, stop saying such things...I don't need you to thank me...You being happy and smiling is all the thanks I ever need..." Sakura looked up at Naruto and saw him giving her a warm smile, but she couldn't return it. "Naruto, you need to stop all of this...I told you I don't deserve any of this..You should be with a person who can make you happy instead of you always trying to make me happy...I'm just a stupid little bit..."

She couldn't finish her words as Naruto had grabbed Sakura by her waist and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was forceful yet soft at the same time. Sakura tried to break away, but couldn't due to the fact that Naruto held her tightly and as well as a part of her that didn't want to leave. They stayed in that position together for a while. The two of them enjoyed each other's taste and could feel the ecstasy running through their bodies. Sakura started to feel lightheaded and realized that she needed to breathe.

This time she forced Naruto off and attempted to gasp in air into her mouth. She looked back up at Naruto who had a few tears fall down his eyes. "Sakura-chan, don't ever talk like that about yourself ever again. It pains me to hear you saw those words. You are the most beautiful and sweetest girl I have ever known. Everything you said was completely wrong. If you want to thank me then do it by being with me...At least give me a chance to be with you. Because when I'm with you I feel at peace within myself. When I see you smile, I can't help but smile myself; and when your sad it pains me as well...So please...just give me a chance..."

Sakura stared directly into his teary eyes. How could she refuse this boy? He did so much for her and all he asked was for a chance for them to be together. All he wanted was her to be with him. Why he wanted to be with her so much she couldn't understand. But that was the least thing she could do for him.

Before Sakura even knew it, she lunged at Naruto and caused the pair to fall to the ground. She interlocked her lips with his, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto put his arms around her waist and brought their bodies closer. The kiss was fierce yet passionate at the same time. They both pressed their tongues against one another and began a rhythmic dance. The feelings building up inside of both them were incredible. Naruto felt as if he could die right there and have no regrets. Sakura just enjoyed the sense of warmness circulating through her body.

Soon enough came the time for the pair to breathe and they both broke away. Naruto just looked up at Sakura's face and looked directly into her emerald eyes; he could see her giving him an amorous smile. He smiled right back as he spoke again. "So I guess this means yes huh?"

Sakura gave him a small giggle as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes before speaking. "How's this for an answer?" she said as she closed the distance between them and implanted another sweet kiss on his lips.

* * *

**Kiri no Akuma Ketsueki - **Demon's Blood Mist (mine!) 

**Yon Fuu Akuma Higyou** - Four Strike Demon Seal (mine!)

**Tsukuyomi - **Moon Reader (original)

**Akuma Seidou** - Demon's Sanctuary (mine!)

**Author's Note:** Thanks for taking the time to read this newest chapter, and your comments/suggestions are much appreciated.


	10. Icha Icha Paradise The Movie

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But my lawyer and I are currently in the process of filing a suit against Kishimoto for stealing my idea for Ch. 377 and not giving me credit...the court date has been set for the day after Ch. 500 is released...**

**Author's Note:** I have to say thanks for all the reviews you guys gave me, it really helps me understand how well I'm doing because your feedback is important. If you have ever watched Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow then you will understand where I got part of the idea for this chapter from.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

* * *

**Ch. 10: Icha Icha Paradise The Movie**

Naruto was nicely sleeping in his bed and was wrapped up in his blankets. He was currently hugging something very fluffy and comfortable. "Hmmm, Sakura-chan, you sure are really soft" he said as he squeezed her tighter.

"_**Kit! What are you doing! You are going to squeeze her to death!" **_yelled Kyuubi.

Naruto instantly released his grip and yelled out loud as he stood up in his bed. He looked over on the right side of his bed and noticed there was nobody there. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then noticed the squished pillow resting next to him. He started to hear Kyuubi hysterically laughing in the back of his mind and his face turned from confusion to anger. _Damn fox what the hell is wrong with you! You almost scared the shit out of me!_

Kyuubi finished his comedic laugh before he spoke again. _**"It serves you right kit, thinking you'd get lucky on the first date! If only I could see the expression on your face it would be almost worth it to be stuck inside of you!" **_

Naruto just shook is head and cut off the mental link with Kyuubi so he wouldn't be bothered anymore. He got up off his bed and stretched his body as he was about to go to the kitchen and make some ramen for breakfast. But, before he could do that he heard a knock on his door. He gave out a small groan as he darted out of his room and to the front door.

He opened the door and was quite surprised to see Sasuke in front of him. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Sasuke just handed him a scroll before speaking. "We are required to go to Hokage-sama's office so you can be briefed on your first mission back. Kakashi-sensei and Sakura are already there"

Naruto opened the scroll and quickly skimmed it over. "Ok cool, I'll be there as soon as I'm ready" Sasuke just nodded his head and turned around to leave. "Wait Sasuke, hold on a second" said person turned around only to be sent flying backwards a few hundred feet and crashing onto the ground. He grabbed his jaw as it sheered with pain. He looked up at a smirking Naruto. "What the fuck was that for _dobe_!?!" he yelled.

Naruto rubbed his left hand before speaking. "That _teme_ was for you breaking Sakura-chan's heart. And me not killing you is saying thanks for leaving the broken pieces for me to fix" and with those words he shut his door and left to get ready. Sasuke got up off the ground still holding his jaw with his right hand. _Damn Naruto that hurt like a bitch! Well, I guess I sort of deserve it...But I'll still get some payback next time! _Sasuke let go of his jaw and clenched it tightly shut as he dashed off towards the Hokage's office.

* * *

Naruto walked into the Hokage's office and witnessed a site of : Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura who were all lined up in front of the Tsunade's desk. Jiraiya, who was leaning against the back wall near the window, and Shizune sitting at her assistant's desk with TonTon perched on top of it. Naruto took a place standing next to Sakura and gave her a nice smile as she did the same. He looked over to Sasuke who just gave him a deadly glare as he rubbed his jaw and Naruto couldn't help hold back a grin. Sakura looked at both of the boys and just shook her head. 

_Looks like they are going to be at it again just like old times_

"_**It's so nostalgic isn't it eh? Hehehe, good to see the old team 7 back in action!" **_shouted inner Sakura as she punched her fists in the air.

Kakashi just smiled under his mask as he saw his two students glare at each other. _I guess they will always be eternal rivals. I should make sure they don't over do it and jeopardize the mission. _After Naruto was done mocking Sasuke, he turned back to Tsunade and spoke. "So Tsunade-baachan, what's kind of mission is this going to be? Is it an A-rank specialty one? Or how about a super secret S-rank? Or maybe..."

A few veins popped on Tsunade's forehead and she stood up from her chair and pointed at the blond haired shinobi. "Shut up brat! you are not going on any of those kind of missions! Since this is going to be your first mission from your unexpected and _long_ absence, it's going to be just a simple B-ranked escort mission"

Naruto gave her a bewildered look that soon turned to scorn. He gave her a dismissive wave with his right hand. "No way you old hag, I'm not waisting my time being someone's babysitter" and Naruto turned around to walk out of the room. Unfortunately he was stopped right in his tracks when he felt something holding onto his ear and forcing him to not move. He gave out a groan and turned around to see Sakura holding him in place with her super strength and giving him an angry glare. "Naruto I think you should be more respectful to Tsunade-shishou! She is the Hokage and _you _are still a genin! Her authority outweighs yours"

Naruto was about to say something, but just sighed and turned around to face a smirking Tsunade. "Fine...I guess I'll do it just this once..." he said lamely. Tsunade gave a smile to Sakura and sat back down on her chair. She picked up a piece of paper from her desk and held it up in front of everyone. "Very well then, your mission is to escort our client to her new movie premiere in the River country. She is a very famous celebrity so you must insure her safety at all costs! Yukie Fujikaze please come in"

All of team 7 turned around to see the door open and Yukie Fujikaze enter into the office. Naruto pointed his index finger at her and yelled. "Hey its you, Princess Fuun!" Yukie gave him a confused look, but as she stepped closer to the group her memory clicked and a smile appeared on her face. "Naruto Uzumaki, well it sure has been a long time hasn't it? I'm glad to see that _you_ will be escorting me_" _she said as she stood next to him and gave him a kiss on his right cheek.

Naruto face quickly turned red as a blush appeared on his face. Sakura on the other hand had her jaw wide open as she witnessed what just happened before here. _What the hell? Did she just kiss Naruto? Where did this come from all of a sudden?_

Inner Sakura was fuming and steam was coming out of her ears as she saw what just happened. _**"Who does she think she is kissing our man! Shannaro! We better keep an eye on her!"**_

Naruto shook his head and just faced forward and peeked a look at Sakura from the corner of his left eye; He noticed that she was giving him a death glare and he quickly averted his eyes forward. Tsunade took note of the situation in her head and made sure to think about it later. She looked up at Yukie and spoke. "Fujikaze-hime, you will be escorted by Team 7 to your movie premiere. The trip should take about a day by foot"

Naruto turned his head to his right as he looked at Yukie. "Um Fujikaze-hime, is this going to be another Princess Funn movie? Because I'd really like to see it!" Yukie looked at the boy and gave him a nice smile. "No Naruto-kun it isn't going to be one of my usual action and adventure films. Don't you remember me telling you about acting in the new Icha Icha Paradise movie, before you left from the Land of Snow?"

"WHAT!!!"

Everyone in the room turned their heads to see Kakashi of all people with his mouth wide open and his mask stretching to it's limit. He stood there with a disbelieving look on his face and his visible eye popping out of it's socket. "We are going to be escorting you to the first premiere of the movie? It isn't going to be released in Konoha for a few months!" Yukie had a smirk on her face before she spoke. "Ah I do remember that you are a big fan of the series, and watching the movie would be even more splendid. How about I offer you all V.I.P viewing to the movie as an additional bonus for your services!"

Sakura was about to object, but Kakashi beat her to it. "OF COURSE we will accept! Thank you very much Fujikaze-hime, it would be a great honor to watch it first hand!" Yukie smiled with delight as she wrapped her left arm around Naruto's right and preceded to lead him out the door. "Come Naruto-kun, you can tell me all about what you've been up to these last few years" Naruto couldn't restrain himself and unconditionally walked with her out the door, with Kakashi, Sasuke, and a fuming Sakura following him.

Tsunade swiveled her chair around to face her old teammate. "Jiriaya, why is it that you aren't even going to the adaption of your smut novel?" Jiriaya stood up and gave her a heartbroken look. "The reason I'm not going to be viewing it was...well...because I was...uh..banned..." he said hesitantly.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You were banned from a movie about your novel? Care to explain?" Jiriaya stood in front of her and crossed his arms against his chest and a pout on his face. "The reason I was banned was because I got into an argument with the director about the production of the movie. He wanted to leave out some of my more concupiscent scenes, and I refused to have some of my greatest works left out, which were inspired by countless hours of research!"

Tsunade gave him a disgusted look. "Jiriaya I don't even want to know what a senile old pervert like youself does in his spare time" she paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "Do you think it is time?"

Jiriaya looked at her and saw the serious expression on her face. He walked over to her desk and pulled up a chair to sit on. Shizune got up off her desk and carried TonTon out of the room to leave the two sannin's to discuss their private matters. Once the door was closed, Jiriaya opened his mouth to speak "It was a lot sooner than I had expected, but I do believe that now is the time to give Naruto his legacy scroll"

Tsunade rubbed her temples in order to sooth the on coming headache. "Are you really sure that he is ready? Naruto still seems to young to be able to handle it" Jiriaya reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small white scroll with a swirl insignia on it. "It doesn't matter how old he is; I was told that once he had fully absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra I was supposed to give this to him. Minato entrusted me with task because of it's great importance"

Tsunade just sighed before speaking. "I'm not so sure Jiriaya, he's already had enough problems in his life, why should we add another one?" Jiriaya twirled the scroll in his hand as he kept looking at the swirl symbol. "We have no choice but to give it to him now. From what I have gathered from my spies, it seems as if Akatsuki has all ready gathered the remaining eight Bijuu, and it won't be long before they come looking for Naruto"

Tsunade looked at the white scroll in Jiriaya's hand and gave a deep sigh. "We will tell him when he gets back from his mission. From the tone of your voice it sounds as if the fate of the world depends on it..." Jiriaya placed the scroll back in his pocket and walked towards the window and put his right foot on the ledge. Before leaving he looked back at Tsunade. "I'm not able to open up the scroll because we don't share the same blood, but Minato knew something of great importance that could very well effect the outcome of this world. It seems that Naruto has an even more challenging road ahead of him..."

* * *

The rain poured harshly down on the ground drenching the entire city. Three figures in black cloaks with red clouds patterned on them were standing under a metal structure. The person with a golden swirl mask,which only had a small hole for the right eye, looked at the orange haired man with piercings on his face. "So you have ensured the extraction of the eight Bijuu?" 

The orange haired shinobi simply nodded. "All that remains is the Kyuubi jinchuurki to be extracted. We have reports that he has returned back home after is unexpected absence. He seems to have gotten quite powerful and was even able to single handedly destroy all of Orochimaru's invading forces"

The man in the golden mask seemed to have almost been shocked at the news, but he still maintained his demeanor. "All that means is you must be the one to defeat him. The Kyuubi is indeed the strongest Bijuu, but even he can be no match for a god such as yourself" He then turned his face to the blue haired woman. "And what about Sasuke? How has he been progressing?"

The blue haired woman with an origami flower in her hair looked up at him. "Sasuke has been under the tutelage of Kakashi Hatake and has been performing quite well. He has completely mastered the lightening and fire elements and has become quite advanced with his chokuto. He also has been able to use his Sharingan to it's maximum potential"

The masked man simply nodded his head. "He has come a long way and has indeed proved himself to be a true Uchiha. When you go to capture the Kyuubi jinchuurki, you must also ensure his capture as well. He his also a vital aspect to our plans"

The blue haired woman just nodded as she and the man with many piercing on his face disappeared and left the masked man to himself. "It wont be long now. All the pieces are fitting together and soon all our goals will be achieved. The Sharingan's true power. My power. Uchiha Madara's power!"

* * *

Team 7 was currently inside the cinema preparing themselves for the new movie to start. They were all seated in a special section of the theater in the top aisle. Kakashi was on the far left side with a large tub of popcorn in his lap, and a large bottle of soda in his cup holster. Yukie sat to his right and had a small bag of popcorn for herself as she waited for her movie to start. Sasuke was seated next to her and was resting his jaw in the palm of his hand with his elbow on top of his seat's left arm. He had a bored expression on his face as he stared at the oncoming previews to come. Naruto sat next to Sasuke with Sakura to his right. 

There was currently a weird tension between the two. During their trip Naruto had not once looked directly at Sakura, afraid that he would feel her wrath. Throughout their trip, he hadn't had the time to talk to her one on one because Yukie was always next to him, and currently he felt very uncomfortable as the movie was beginning to start.

Sakura was angry for mainly two reasons. One, Naruto had been avoiding her during the whole trip and even when he was right next to her, he hadn't done anything, and she hadn't either. Two, she was about to watch a perverted movie adaption of Jiriaya's infamous smut novels, and it wasn't helping that inner Sakura was actually looking forward to it. Sakura looked straight forward, but kept glancing at Naruto from the corner of her eye. She noticed that he was doing the same, and whenever they made semi eye contact, they averted their gaze.

The fifteen minute previews had come to an end and the feature presentation had started. Sakura blushed uncontrollably as the movie was progressing. The erotic scenes where more than peachy to say the least. The sounds of the actors screaming and moaning was not was not helping her as well. She shifted in her seat as she tried to get the implicit images of Naruto and her out of her head. The movie itself had no plot line whatsoever, and focused more on the 'action' scenes of the story.

Naruto was sweating profusely as the movie was getting underway. He kept rubbing his nose to stop the oncoming blood ready to gush out of his nose. He had skimmed over Jiriaya's books once in a while, but watching the movie was entirely different. The phrase 'a picture is worth a thousand words' could help somewhat explain his situation. Except in this case, the movie itself was more like a million books worth. Just like Sakura, he also kept having lecherous thoughts involving the pair.

Naruto turned his head to the left and saw Sasuke acting indifferent to the movie and was maybe even dozing off. Yukie was enjoying the movie as she continued to munch on her popcorn. Kakashi covered his masked mouth with his right hand as he kept giving out perverted giggles during the more intimate scenes. Naruto just shook his head and looked back at the movie and prayed that it would end soon before his face was drenched in his own blood.

The movie was getting more explicit by the minute and scenes were getting more sensual. Sakura couldn't withstand watching it any longer. She clamped her legs shut as she felt the pulsing sensation between them. She closed her eyes in hopes that it would help sooth her from losing control.

"_**What are you doing! It was just getting to the best part! Open your eyes Sakura! You should be taking notes on this stuff!" **_screamed inner Sakura

_Shut up you damn pervert! This is not my idea of a good time, especially with Naruto right next to me! _she yelled right back.

"**_This movie is the perfect opportunity for you to learn some moves to impress boy wonder! He showed us how cool he was, and now it's our turn! This is the best way to thank him!!!" _**countered inner Sakura.

_I can't take this anymore! You and this movie are getting on my last nerves! I need to leave right now!_

Sakura quickly got up off her seat and rushed for the exit. Inner Sakura kept screaming in her head to stop, but it didn't change her mind. Sakura just ran off to her hotel room in order to get rid of the impure thoughts coursing through her head.

Naruto saw her leave and got a confused expression on his face. _Why did she leave? Was it because of the movie?...Oh shit! She's probably mad at me! I'm such an idiot! I'm sitting next to her the whole time and haven't even said anything to her! I need to talk to her, I can't lose her right after I finally got the opportunity yesterday!_

Naruto took one quick glance to his right and saw that no one was paying attention to him so he just quickly get up off his chair and followed after Sakura.

* * *

Sakura had just finished taking a cold shower and put on her red night gown. The shower had definitely cooled off some of her more heated thoughts and she felt comfortable again. However, she was still concerned about Naruto and herself, as they hadn't said more than a few words to each other and barely even looked at one another the entire day. After their date last night, she had actually felt quite happy the first time in a long while, and was looking forward to spending more time with him. 

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and walked over to it. Before opening the door she asked who it was. "It's me, Naruto" Instantly Sakura felt an array of indescribable emotions hit her. She was nervous and not sure what to do. Of course she wanted to talk to him, but she was anxious and jittery at the same time. "Um Sakura-chan are you still there?" Sakura felt the concern in his voice and hesitantly put her hand on the knob and slowly unlocked the door. "Yeah Naruto I'm..."

Sakura felt a gush of air hit her and felt herself being lifted into the air. Naruto had wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers. Sakura was taken back by the sudden initiation, and after finally realizing the situation she closed her eyes and responded back in the kiss and brought her arms around his neck. Naruto kissed her tenderly and licked her lower lip, asking for entry, which Sakura openly obliged to. There tongues pressed against one another and helped vent out some of the frustration bottled up within them.

The pair crashed onto the bed and continued to indulge in each other's taste as their bodies stayed in a tight embrace. Finally, the necessity to breath overtook that of to continue and two broke the kiss and took in some air. Sakura stared into Naruto's blue eyes and saw a hint of sadness in them. "What's wrong Naruto?" she said.

Naruto looked deeply into her green majestic eyes and saw his sad reflection in them. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan if you thought I was avoiding you, it's just that this whole day has been so complicated. I wanted to talk to you so badly, but I just couldn't find the right time to do it, and I was so nervous that you were mad at me that I didn't no what to do. I'm sorry Sakura-chan, please forgive me..."

Sakura looked at his dejected face and felt heartbroken to see him like this. She lifted her head up and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Naruto, you don't have to be sorry for anything. I could never be mad at you. Your so sweet and kind and only do things for the best. If anyone should be sorry, it should be me, because I didn't do anything at all and left you to feel so miserable. I'm the one who should really be sorry.."

Naruto continued to look into her eyes and could see the truth behind her words. He finally smiled and enveloped her in a tight hug and rested his head on her shoulder as he began to plant butterfly kisses up her neck. Sakura closed her eyes and let the delightful vibes stroke against her neck as she felt her body tingle with an ineffable feeling.

Naruto lifted his head up and looked back at her. "Uh Sakura-chan, do you mind if I spend the night with you? We haven't had the time to be together this whole day, so it would be nice to finally have the opportunity to do so.." Sakura examined his facial expression and knew he was being sincere. "Sure you can Naruto...as long as you don't try to pull anything from that movie!" she said playfully.

Naruto gave her his trademark foxy grin and lifted her up and carried to the top of the bed. They both cuddled together as Naruto wrapped his arms around her and locked his hands across her waist as Sakura placed her hands on top of his. Naruto took in a whip of her slightly wet pink hair and could smell the lavender shampoo she had used. Her aroma drove him crazy, but he did his best not to spoil the moment.

Sakura enjoyed the closeness they shared and felt a wonderful warmness circulating through her. She couldn't believe that Naruto could stir up all these good feelings inside of her. Did he have this effect on everyone? Or was it just around her? She was quite curious to know why exactly he chose her. "Hey Naruto, I have a question...Why is it that you are so infatuated with me?"

Naruto heard her words and gave out a laugh. He pulled her in closer to himself and planted a kiss on her right cheek. "I think the question should be: how can I not be infatuated with you Sakura-chan?"

A smile formed on Sakura's face from hearing him say that, but she still wasn't sure. "I can think of plenty of reasons..I mean I'm not the most beautiful kunochi out there. I don't have the best looking body. I'm way too thin, my breasts and butt are below average. The only thing above average is the size of my forehead..." her face turned into a frown after she started to list out her imperfections. Much to her surprise Naruto just laughed again after she finished her sentence.

He spun her around and stared directly into her eyes. "Sakura-chan what kind of person do you think I am? I'm not some superficial idiot who only cares about looks. And you shouldn't be so worried about how you look, because no matter what you will always be gorgeous in my eyes" he said with a smile on his face.

Sakura blushed at hearing his kind words and felt her eyes getting a little teary. "Do you really mean that Naruto?"

Naruto simply gave her a grin before answering her. "Of course I do Sakura-chan, I think your perfect! You don't have to be bothered at all about your appearance. In my opinion, I think you have a flawless body. You have a strong physique from all that training you do, your breasts and butt are perfectly proportional to your body size, and you sure have a large and charming forehead...makes me want to kiss it" and he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss right at the center.

Sakura blushed again as she felt his lips contact her skin. His touch indeed had an effect on her, but it was his words that made her have a feeling of closeness to him. Naruto gave her a smile and laid his head down on the pillow. Sakura rested her head on his shoulder and put her left arm around his stomach. The two stayed close together and simply enjoyed each others embrace. Sakura was feeling so wonderful at the moment, and knew that she had never experienced this kind of sensation with anyone else.

She looked at Naruto and saw him calmly sleeping. This brought a smile to her face as she lifted her head and gave him a quick peck on the lips. A smile soon appeared on his face as well, and Naruto seemed to have a harmonious expression. Sakura felt confirmed that he was well asleep and was confident enough to put her head near his ear as she whispered into it.

"Naruto, I really think I'm falling for you..." she said before she rested her head back on his shoulder and snuggled closer to him and drifted off to sleep. Unknown to the pink haired girl was that a certain someone was still awake and his smile had just gotten a whole lot bigger after hearing her say those words.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. This chapter helps set up the main plot for the story and the many conflicts that are to come. Also, I used some direct quotes from the manga near the end which are from Ch. 3 just to let you know, so no one can come scream plagiarism at me. Like always, thanks for taking the time to read this chapter and story. Feel free to comment/criticize/suggest/whatever you want. 


	11. Becoming the Hero

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But I sent an email to Kishimoto asking him which of the three main pairings would happen in the end, and you know what he sent me? A _very_ graphic NaruSasu hentai picture..._my poor eyes_...**

**Author's Note: **Before some readers whine to me about Naruto crying, let me explain something to you. I suggest you reread the manga or watch the anime, and see just exactly how many times he cries (and fyi he does it _a lot_). If you want to read about a character who is cold and emotionless then go read one centered around Sasuke. I won't break Naruto's real personality cause then it will ruin his character. Now that I have that out of the way, on with the chapter!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch. 11: Becoming the Hero **

Team 7 was lined up in front of the Hokage's desk. Kakashi stood on the left side, with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke to his right. Tsunade sat in her chair as she examined the report that had been given to her. Once she finished reading it over, she looked up at Kakashi. "So I assume that the mission was a success then?"

Kakashi give her a simple nod of his head. "Yes Tsunade-sama, Fujikaze-hime was escorted to her movie permiere on time safely and unharmed. The move was a complete success, as well as Naruto and Sakura offically becoming a couple" he finished with a smile on his face. Both Naruto and Sakura's jaws fell to the floor. They stared directly at Kakashi's half covered face, who just had a grin under his mask. Naruto was the first person to speak. "Kakashi-sensei, what makes you think that?"

"Well, when I saw you leaving to follow after Sakura during the ending of the movie, which happened to be quite fabulous (perverted giggles), I went up to her hotel room to check up on both of you, and found out that you ended up spending the night there; I just assumed that you two had come to an agreement. Oh and also...whens the due date?" he finished with another series of perverted giggles.

Naruto gave him a confused look for a second, but then just gave him a grin as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand. "Hehehe, what are you talking about Kakashi-sensei? I always use protection!" Naruto would regret making that silly little joke, as Sakura laid a super strong hit on top of his noggin, knocking the poor shinboi to the ground. "It wasn't anything like that idiot! Don't start thinking you can take this cherry blossom so easily!" she yelled with a furiousness to rival a drunken Tsunade.

Tsunade just smiled as she saw Naruto getting up and apologizing to Sakura. She looked back at her before speaking. "I'm glad to see my apprentice can keep a check on our favorite knuckled headed ninja, as well as having good taste" she finished with wink. Sakura just blushed after hearing her master say those words, and Naruto just grinned as he put his right arm around her shoulders. Sasuke turned his head to look at the pair and felt utterly disgusted. "Well Sakura, I guess it's a good thing you finally gave Naruto a chance...even if he is just your rebound guy" he said with a smirk on his face.

Naruto felt his blood boil and unwrapped his arm around Sakura and got read to move and hit Sasuke right in the face. However, he stopped when Sakura stretched out her left arm in front of him. She turned to Sasuke and gave him a nice smile. "You know Sasuke-kun, for a proclaimed 'genius' you sure can say the stupidest of things sometimes" Everyone who wasn't speaking stood their with a shocked look on their faces, except for Sasuke, who just raised his left eyebrow at her.

The pink haired kunochi continued smiling at him just like before. "Naruto would only be considered my 'rebound guy' if I couldn't have you, and there was no other choice for me. But what you _fail_ to realize is that, I no longer want you, and that my heart has chosen a different person. Someone who cares about me. Someone who brings a smile to my face. Someone who doesn't forcefully make me cry. Someone who looks out for me. Someone I completely trust with my life. Someone who I want to always be with, and share my happiness with. And that someone just so happens to be Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sakura gave him a quick smirk before turning around and standing on her toes, as she reached up to give Naruto a kiss on his right cheek. Naruto just stood there grinning from ear to ear as he looked at Sasuke, who simply responsed with his trademark 'hn' and looked away.

Tsunade smiled as she saw her apprentice speak out. _I'm glad to see that you made the correct choice Sakura. Naruto has always cared for you and the one thing he desired most was your acknowledgment. You both with pull together even in the hardest of times, I just know it!_

Kakashi crossed his arms and closed his visible eye as he smiled under his mask. _Well I guess it was indeed inevitable; they are similar in so many aspects, that they're just made for each other. But, don't worry Sasuke, you still have plenty of fangirls left in your club willing to chase after you. _Kakashi covered his mouth as he gave out some more perverted giggles as he had a mental image of Sasuke being mauled down by his large group of fangirls.

"Well this will sure make an interesting addition to my upcoming novel!"

Everyone shifted their gaze to the left back side of the room and saw Jiraiya jumping off his orange toad and entering in through the window. Tsunade swiveled her chair around to face one of the legendary sannin. "Jiraiya your late!" she yelled. "Can't you go one day without peeping at the women in the hot springs!"

Jiraiya just drooled for a while as he remembered his day earlier. "What you call 'peeping' I consider valuable research needed for my well acclaimed series" Kakashi gave out a few more perverted giggles as he covered his masked mouth and tried to avoid the angry glares from Tsunade and Sakura. Jiraiya looked at his number one fan and gave him a quick grin before turning to Tsunade and putting on a more serious expression. "Whether I'm late or not doesn't matter. I came here for an important reason and that is our utmost top priority now"

Tsunade gave him a nod as she turned her chair around and both her and Jaraiya stared directly at Naruto. Naruto started feeling a bit uncomfortable at all the staring. "Uh Ero-sennin and Tsunade-baachan (ducks down to avoid fast moving ball point pen aimed at his forehead), why are you staring at me like that?" Jiraiya just sighed as reached into his pocket and pulled out the white scroll. He moved over to Tsunade's desk and placed it on top. He looked back up at a still confused Naruto and crossed his arms. "Naruto...what do you know about the Yondaime?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow wondering why said person was being brought up all of a sudden. Nevertheless, he ravaged his memory banks as he formulated an answer. "Well, I know that he was your student at one point and that he became the best Hokage this village ever had. He was a genius who came up with the **Rasengan, **and performed his trademark **Hiraishin no Jutsu**. He also sacrificed himself to defeat the Kyuubi no Yoko and protect this village...Yeah that's about it I guess..."

Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya who just took a deep breath. "Naruto, you do know exactly how he defeated the Kyuubi right? He used a special type of kinjutsu that sealed away the Kyuubi inside a human body. But, since the Kyuubi is the strongest Bijuu he couldn't just seal it away all inside of himself, he needed another person. And that person was you..."

Naruto simply stared at him showing no emotion. The room was silent for a few seconds before Naruto spoke again. "So what's your point? I don't care if he chose me to be a jinchuurki. I don't blame him for all the shit I went through, because what's my suffering compared to everyone in this entire village? He did what he had to do in order to protect this village"

Sakura turned her head to look directly at him. Even though he looked indifferent when he was speaking, she felt as if she could sense a hint of sadness in his voice. Kakashi also looked at him and could feel his chakra spike a tiny bit. Sasuke turned to see his friend taking on a look that usually represented him. Tsunade began to rub her temples as she felt the situation getting tense.

Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at Naruto and speaking again. "Naruto, I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say...Do you really think he would pick some random child to carry this burden? Don't you remember that if you had died, so would have the Kyuubi, and that would mean problem solved. But the Yondaime's last wish was he wanted you to be kept alive. He wanted you to be seen as a hero who also saved the village...Now why do you think he would say that?"

Naruto stood there taking in all the words. He tried to think of something but he couldn't. "Ero-sennin, quit beating around the bush; just tell me what you are trying to say.." Jiraiya looked towards Tsunade who was simply staring at the white scroll. He shook his head and faced the blond haired ninja. "Naruto...What I'm trying to tell you is that you weren't some random child that he picked. He picked someone very close and dear to him...He picked his own son..." Naruto stood there with no emotion on his face. The room was completely silent and everyone was staring at him. They were all trying to figure out what was going inside of his head.

* * *

Kakashi looked at him and just sighed. _So the time has finally come for Naruto to know of his lineage...Sensei, all I can hope for is that he takes this the right way and understands why you made this decision...__

* * *

_Sakura looked deeply into Naruto's blue eyes. She couldn't tell what emotions where coursing through him. _Can he really be the Yondaime's son? He does look somewhat like him, but if it's true then why is he so sad. He should be proud that he's the son of a Hokage! Naruto...Why are you acting this way...

* * *

_Sasuke turned his head to look at his teammate. Only he could sense the sadness that Naruto felt. The feelings of being alone and by yourself. _Naruto...So you did have a family...But you never even had a chance to see them or even know they existed...That pain of being alone must cut deeper now than ever before knowing that you will never be able to see them... _

* * *

After a few more minutes of silence Naruto finally reacted and everyone raised an eyebrow. He started laughing. Hysterically laughing out loud. He kept laughing for a couple more minutes before finally stopping and looking directly at Jiraiya. "Ero-sennin that's the biggest piece of bullshit I have ever heard in my life. Why in the world should I believe that? You have no proof whatsoever to back your claims" 

Jiraiya shook his head again and picked up the white scroll from the table. He walked over to Naruto and held it in front of him. Naruto stared quizzically at the scroll as Jiraiya opened it up. It was completely empty except for an empty right hand print in the middle of the scroll, and a swirl symbol at the center of the palm.

"Naruto, this is all the proof you need. This is a legacy scroll that your father left behind for you. It can only be activated by your blood. All you have to do is cut your palm to draw out some of your blood, and then press your hand against it, pumping some of your chakra into it; then you will find out whether or not I'm bullshitting..." he said with a discrete voice.

Naruto stared directly at the white scroll in front of him. He just shook his head and pulled out a kunai from his weapons pouch and cut his right palm. Before placing his bloodied hand on the scroll he looked at Jiraiya. "Well, I guess I got nothing to lose so I might as well do it. It wouldn't hurt to try huh?" and then he pressed his hand against the print and pumped some purple chakra into it.

Nothing happened at all for a few seconds and everyone focused on Naruto who stood there just waiting. He finally just shook his head after about thirty seconds, and removed his hand from the scroll. "I knew nothing would happen. You guys were just completely bullshi..."

Suddenly Naruto felt a sharp jolt of pain hit his head and he gave out a scream as he began falling to the floor. Sakura quickly went over and grabbed his body from falling. Naruto seemed to be dead as Sakura rested his head in her lap. She checked his heartbeat and pulse and felt it very faintly. You looked up at the Hokage with a curious face. "Tsunade-shishou, Naruto's alive, but he's unconscious. What exactly is happening to him right now?"

Everyone in the room was circled around her and Naruto. He looked to be asleep as he laid on the ground. Tsunade bent down to check his vitals and also came to the conclusion that he was unconscious. She turned her head to look at her former teammate. "Jiraiya, how does that scroll work exactly?"

Jiraiya held the scroll in his hand and saw the red hand print disappearing and being replaced with a date in the middle. It had the Konoha symbol underneath it and said October tenth. His eyes opened up in shocking after realizing what exactly happened on that day. "It looks like Naruto is being given a piece of Minato's memory. The day of his birthday, as well as the day the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked..."

Everyone in the room took on the same expression Jiraiya had earlier and then looked back at Naruto. Sakura brushed his blond hair as she continued to stare at his lifeless, yet peaceful face. _Naruto, please be ok where ever you are...and comeback to me safely..._

_

* * *

Alternate Dimension_

Naruto opened his blurry eyes and saw nothing but white around him. He slowly got up and began to rub his eyes. When he opened them again he took notice of his surrounding and realized that he was in a hospital. Suddenly he heard somebody yelling loudly and turned his head to a room at the far side of the corner. He walked over and entered the room and gazed upon the shock of his life.

There was a red haired woman lying on a hospital bed panting hardly and yelling out occasionally. He saw a tall man with long blond hair wearing a white cloak holding her right hand. He looked next to the blond haired person and saw a younger looking Jiraiya standing next to him. At the end of the bed sat Tsunade who looked no different then her normal self. The whole situation was completely confusing him.

Out of no where the hospital began to shake furiously and he saw everyone trying to grasp onto something. Naruto heard some running footsteps coming from outside and a person entering into the room. It was a younger version of Kakashi who appeared to be around fourteen years old. He had a small sword on his back and had a black mask covering his face. He ran up to the blond haired man and spoke. "Minato-sensei, the Kyuubi no Yoko has broken in through the front gates. The Konoha shinobi cannot hold him off for any longer, we need you right away!"

Minato turned around and faced his student. He had a serious expression on his face as he spoke. "Thanks for informing me Kakashi. Tell them I'm coming right away" The younger Kakashi simply nodded his head and turned around to run out of the room. As he stepped through the door he failed to see Naruto in front him, so Naruto suspected that no one could see him. He looked back at the red haired woman who began to breath even harder.

Minato turned to Jiraiya and spoke "I must get going now. When the child is born, bring him to me" The younger looking Jiraiya just nodded his head and looked at a worried Tsunade. Minato leaned into the bed and kissed the red haired woman on the lips. "My dear Kushina, the village is under attack and it is my duty as Hokage to protect it with my life. I know that I will no longer be here to protect it, but our child will surely carry on and protect this place..."

Kushina gave her husband a smile as tears fell down her cheeks. "My only wish is that he be given the proper respect that he deserves. Please insure me that he will have a happy life. Only then can my soul rest in peace..." Minato simply nodded his head and gave her one final kiss before departing out of the room. Naruto just quickly followed after him._

* * *

_The village was in utter ruins. Buildings had collapsed everywhere and dead bodies littered the ground. Naruto followed right behind Minato as he saw him running for the village entrance. And there he stood. He seemed to be about fifty feet tall and had a shining red body. It's nine tails swished in the air, as one of them hit the side of a wall and crushed it completely. There were about a hundred Konoha shinobi surrounding the humongous monster and doing various ninjutsu's against it. However, all of their attacks failed and the Kyuubi no Yoko continued on it's rampage of destroying the village.

Naruto turned to see the Yondaime stepping a few hundred feet in front of Kyuubi. He bit his left thumb and yelled, "**Kuchiyose** **no** **Jutsu**" A big puff of smoke covered the landscape and as it dispersed Gamabunta stood in front of Kyuubi. All the Konoha shinobi began to cheer as they retreated and let the hokage fight the beast. Gamabunta withdrew his sword from it's hilt and jumped in the air to land a strike on Kyuubi's head. Kyuubi however just backed away to dodge the strike and reached out with it's left paw and scratched Gamabunta's right eye. Gamabunta gave out a loud yelp as he closed his blood covered eye.

Kyuubi leapt forward to land another strike on Gambunta, but the red toad moved backwards to dodge the attack. Naruto was amazed at the battle between the two massive creatures. They kept trying to land blows on one another, but it seemed to be an even match. Naruto saw them move outside of the village and battle out in the grounds. Gamabunta kept shooting **Suiton: ****Teppoudama** at Kyuubi no Yoko, but he countered and swatted them away with his many tails.

Naruto stood just outside the gates watching the fight occur. It was simply incredible seeing two of the most powerful creatures going head to head. The Yondaime stood firmly on top of Gamabunta's head as he issued him commands. Naruto was wondering why Kyuubi wasn't responding to him in his head. It seemed as if the mental connection he had with him was stopped for some abrupt reason. Naruto suddenly heard someone yelling and turned around to see Jiraiya running for the entrance carrying a small child in his arm.

Naruto followed after him as they both jumped on top of Gamabunta's body. Jiraiya stood next to the Yondaime as Naruto was behind Jiraiya. Neither of the two seemed to be aware of his presence and focused on the task at hand. Gamabunta had stepped back to avoid another strike from Kyuubi and everyone on top his head tried to keep their balance. Jiraiya looked at the hokage while carrying the small child in his arms. The new born baby was crying intensively as he heard Kyuubi no Yoko roar with a loud viciousness. "Minato, are you ready to do this?"

The Yondaime just smiled before he responded. "I'm sure Jariaya-sensei that this is the only way for us to defeat the Kyuubi no Yoko. Once I complete the kinjutsu hand him over to me so it can begin. Oh and when the time is right give him the scroll" Jiraiya simply nodded as he looked forward and saw the Kyuubi coming closer. Minato moved down towards Gamabunta's snout and stood on top of it. He gave the red toad some orders, who just gave a slight nod and moved in closer to Kyuubi.

Kyuubi swung another one of it's tails at Gamabunta, but he just jumped out of the way to avoid getting hit. As he started to descend down to the ground, Gamabunta made a few hand seals and yelled, "**Mizuame Nabara**" A sticky liquid substance came out of Gamabunta's gullet and spread onto the ground and began to cover Kyuubi's feet. Kyuubi tried to move, but his feet were glued to the ground and he couldn't move. Gamabunta took this opportunity to land in front of him and grab Kyuubi from moving anymore. With the two large creatures interlocked with one another, the Yondaime made nine slow hand seals before voicing out, "**Shiki Fuujin**"

Naruto was standing behind Jiraiya as he saw the Hokage start the jutsu. A flash of light erupted and Naruto shielded his eyes from getting blinded. After the flash dissipated away, he looked back and gazed his eyes upon an incredible site. There it floated right behind the Yondaime, the almighty Shinigami. It's purple body was wrapped in a long white garment. It had two red horns sticking out from under it's long white hair. It held a long knife in it's mouth and had a beaded chain wrapped around it's left arm.

A blue spectral form of the Yondaime appeared in front of the death god. After noticing the situation at hand, the Shinigami seemed to have formed a smile on it's face as he let the beaded chain fall down it's left arm, causing numerous demonic symbols to be covered in it. Minato signaled the toad sage to come over and Naruto followed right after him. Minato looked at the white haired sannin and gave him a smile. "The time has finally come to end this. Give him to me.." Jiraiya simply nodded and handed over the small baby to the hokage who held it in front of his stomach. The baby was crying sporadically as he looked at the trapped nine tailed fox trying to escape from the sticky substance, as well as from Gamabunta's clutches.

The Shinigami stretched out it's left arm and proceeded to push it through the blue spectral form of Minato, and then through the actual body. Minato felt a jolt of pain hit him and blood slowly leaked out of his clenched mouth. The black marked purple hand then entered through Minato's stomach and pushed through the small child's abdomen. The child continued to cry and holler, but it didn't seem to be in any additional pain. The Shinigami continued stretching it's arm and finally grabbed Kyuubi's head.

Kyuubi tried to pull away, but the Shinigami's clutch was too strong and his attempts failed. As the death god pulled him closer, Kyuubi's tails started to disappear one by one. Soon enough he become nothing more than a black and white ball of chakra which was being brought closer to Shinigami.The ball of chakra approached the young baby's body and was pulled through by the purple hand. The baby began crying more intensely as the ball entered its body and pushed through the other side. Once it had finished pushing through, the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki **seal formed on his stomach, followed by the **Shishou Fuuin** on top of it.

Now all that was left was the black ball of chakra which was being dragged through the Hokage's body. Minato grimaced as the ball touched his stomach and ripped a whole through his clothing and began to be pulled through his body. After about a minute or so, it had completely pushed through and only the **Hakke no Fuunin Shiki** seal formed on his body. Minato turned his head to the left and looked at worried Jiraiya. He just smiled at him before speaking. "The sealing is complete and the Kyuubi will harm this village no longer. Make sure Kushina's wish comes through. Make sure that this village sees him as the hero that he truly is..."

Jiraiya approached closer to him with Naruto following right behind him. Jiraiya took the small child away from Minato's grasp and held him in his arms. He looked at his student before speaking. "What do you want his name to be?"

Minato closed his eyes for a second before he opened them up and stared directly at the person behind Jiraiya. He gave him a warm smile before answering. "Naruto...Naruto Uzumaki..." and with those words the death god pulled it's hand through Minato's body and grabbed his soul along with the black ball of chakra towards it's mouth. It took the knife out of it's mouth with it's right hand and devoured the two items in it's left hand. It gave a satisfied smile as it digested the two entities and let it enter his stomach.

Minato gave one final smile to both Jiraiya and Naruto before his body lifelessly fell to the floor. Naruto stood there in complete shock as tears streamed down his eyes. He quickly ran over to the fallen body, but as soon as he reached down to it, the body had disappeared. He looked back up and noticed his surroundings starting to get fuzzy. He looked at Jiraiya and noticed his body beginning to dissipate.

All of a sudden, the landscape was being enveloped by a white light. Everything started to disappear around Naruto and he shut his eyes as the white light flashed so brightly, that it was almost as bad as staring directly into the sun. Even with his closed eyes, he could feel the light pierce the darkness and cause him to be in pain.

However, it slowly started to settle and the light came back to a normal level. Naruto reopened his eyes and found that he was no longer where he had been earlier. He seemed to be in a room which was colored entirely in white. But what gave him a weird sensation was that when he looked at the walls they didn't seem to be flat, and looked as if they were going on forever. He continued to look around the area until his eyes caught focus of an interesting figure.

Naruto walked up to the figure and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked directly at his face. It was like looking into a mirror. Both there features were exactly the same. They were of the same height, had the same long golden hair, and the exact sapphire blue eyes. The figure smiled at Naruto and stretched out his left hand putting it on Naruto's right shoulder. "I'm glad to finally see you my son..." Naruto couldn't control himself. He moved forward and gave the person a hug as tears streamed own his eyes. The man just smiled as he put his arm around Naruto and gently patted his back.

Naruto pulled back after a few seconds, and looked at him again. He seemed so real that it was as if he was actually alive. "How are you doing this? What is this place?" Minato gave Naruto a nice smile before answering. "Before I used the **Shiki Fuujin** to defeat the Kyuubi no Yoko, I sealed a small part of my soul in the scroll that Jiraiya-sensei gave you. Right now we are in realm created by your mind. Since we both share the same blood, you were able to activate it"

Naruto just sighed after hearing his words. He closed his eyes and began to think. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask that he didn't no where to begin. Finally after going through the list he came up with one very simply question. "Why?" Minato looked directly at his son and saw the sadness in face. "I'm assuming that you are wondering why I asked for you to be kept alive? After all, if you had died then the Kyuubi would be no longer, and then there would be nothing to worry about. Is that not what you are thinking?"

Naruto continued to stare at his father wondering how he read his mind. After a short while he simply nodded his head. Minato looked at him and took on a more serious expression. "While it is true that I wouldn't want my own son to be given a punishment that he doesn't deserve. The reason I sealed part of the Kyuubi no Yoko within you was because only you are the one that can complete the jutsu" Naruto gave him a quzzical look. "What do you mean? You sealed the Kyuubi within me so I could complete some jutsu?"

Minato simply gave him a nod of his head. "Naruto, you must understand that the Kyuubi no Yoko did not just suddenly appear out of no where. He was summoned by someone to attack the village. I do not know who exactly he is, but he must be a very powerful shinobi if he was able to control the Kyuubi. I have a feeling that he will comeback to destroy Konoha once again, and that is why you must be the one to protect it"

Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds as he took in his father's words. He opened them up and looked at him. "And what exactly is this jutsu that you want me to learn?" Minato stretched out his right hand in front of Naruto and formed a small ball of blue chakra in his palm. "If you have opened this scroll than that means that you have absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra entirely as well as learned the **Rasengan,** correct?" Naruto gave him a nod of his head and Minato dispersed the blue sphere away.

"Now the** Rasengan** is just a sphere made up of your chakra which you can manipulate with different elements. The jutsu that I want you to complete requires that you manipulate all five elements at the same time, in order to create the sixth element called Void" Naruto raised his left eyebrow at him trying to comprehend what he was saying. "Wait a minute...What is this Void?"

Minato looked up for a few seconds before placing his attention back to Naruto. "Void is an element that is created when you mix all five elements together. Since all the elements have both an advantage and disadvantage over one another, by successful combining them at the same time you create a sense of harmony between them and thus create Void"

Minato paused for a few seconds allowing Naruto to take in the information. "When you are able to manipulate your **Rasengan** with all five elements, it will transform and become filled with Void. When you are about to make contact with your target, your **Rasengan** will push away the air or any other material out of it's path, and create a space which will allow for you to suck your target into another dimension of your choosing. It is the ultimate jutsu that can defeat any opponent"

Naruto's eyes popped out of his sockets. This jutsu sounded to good to be true. The potency that it possessed was just incredible. He couldn't imagine doing such an attack. "Are you sure I will be able to do this? It sounds incredibly difficult"

Minato looked at his son and gave him a smile. "I'm sure you will be able to do this. Your power combined with the Kyuubi's allows you enough chakra to perform it. Just by looking at you I can tell that the will of fire burns strongly within your heart. Naruto, I know that the villagers did not treat you as the hero that your mother and I wanted you to be"

Naruto gave him a shocked look as he heard his words. Minato ignored his expression and continued. "I'm well aware that the Kyuubi no Yoko was a fearful creature, and many of the villagers would see you as him instead of who you really are. But, that should not discourage you from fulfilling your rightful role. Naruto, complete the **Tenrai Sora Rasengan**, and protect this village. Defeat all those who want to bring harm to the village and hurt your precious people. Become the greatest Hokage there ever was. Grant your mother her last wish, and make us even more proud of our son. Become the_ hero_ you were always meant to be!"

Naruto stared at his father who began to slowly let tears fall down his face. Naruto couldn't control himself either and moved forward to encase him in a hug with tears falling down his eyes as well. "Don't worry father, I will do exactly as you say. I will protect Konoha and everyone I care for. I will definitely make you both proud" Minato smiled as he put both his hands on his son's shoulders and held him in front of him. "Naruto I know you will succeed and become the greatest shinobi in this world. Bring peace and happiness to everyone. Only you can be the one to do this, and I always have and will believe in you!"

Naruto smiled and was about to say something else, but suddenly his surroundings started dissipating again. He turned his head around and saw that all the white was being consumed with black. He turned his face back to his father who was just standing there and smiling. "It seems that my time is finally up. You are regaining consciousness and will go back to your own world. I'm just happy to be able to see my wonderful son for one last time..."

The two blond haired shinobi just smiled at each other as the darkness quickly began to surround them and cover up everything, until eventually everything went black and Naruto felt all his senses go blank.

_End Alternate Dimension

* * *

_Naruto slowly opened his blurry eyes and gazed upon a bright color of pink. After realizing why this color seemed so familiar to him he smiled as he opened his mouth to speak. "Sakura-chan..."

Sakura looked down at the awakening shinobi resting his head in her lap. She yelled out his name as she reached down and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Naruto just smiled as he slowly lifted his head up and sat on the floor. Everyone was gathered around him and awaited for him to tell them what happened. He recapped the entire events that had taken place, and after he finished everyone stood there with completely shocked faces. Naruto just gave them all his classic foxy grin and got up off the floor and stretched his body.

He looked up at the pictures of the five Hokages on the back wall. He shifted his focus to the fourth picture and pointed his right index finger at it. "I will definitely make you proud! I will protect everyone who is precious to me with all I have, and achieve my dream of becoming Hokage! I will be the savior of this world and a true hero!"

**

* * *

Rasengan - **Spiral Sphere (original)

**Hiraishin no Jutsu **- Flying Thunder God Technique (original)

**Kuchiyose** **no** **Jutsu** - Summoning Technique (original)

**Suiton: Teppoudama **- Water Bullet (original)

**Mizuame Nabara **- Starch Syrup Capture Field (original)

**Shiki Fuujin - **Corpse Spirit Sealing Method (original)

**Hakke no Fuuin Shiki **- Eight Divination Signs Seal Style (original)

**Shishou Fuunin - **Four Image Seal (original)

**Tenrai Sora Rasengan **- Divine Sky Spiral Sphere (mine!)

**Author's Note:** This chapter does not diverage from the summary. It is setup for future chapters. Just continue reading and you'll see what I did. Also, reviews are always welcomed!


	12. A Blast from the Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But what if I told you that Kishimoto was my long lost twin brother? Would you believe me? If you said 'no' then damn you for being correct! **

**Author's Note:** I have to say that this chapter was really fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I want to thank everyone who took a chance at this story, and give more thanks to those who R&R. Your comments/suggestions are always well appreciated!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch.12: A Blast from the Past**

The white skinned figure was on the ground as he was trying to crawl his way to an unknown destination. His clothes were torn up in multiple places, and his body was badly bruised and bleeding everywhere. He used his nails to dig into the ground and drag himself forward. _Damn this container! It won't last much longer, and I don't have Kabuto to heal me...That damn Kyuubi jinchuurki ruined my plans again...I will comeback stronger and make him suffer!_

He kept going for about a few more feet until all his strength just disappeared and he collapsed onto the ground. He gave out an agonizing yell as his face hit the hard dirt. _Blast it! I'm nearly almost out of chakra, and Otoga is too far away...What the fuck I'm I supposed to do..._

Suddenly the person felt two very large sources of chakra near him and he lifted his head up to see two figures in black cloaks with red clouds patterned on them. The one on the right was a tall blue person, who carried a large sword wrapped in bandages over his right shoulder. He had an evil grin on his face, which bared his razor sharp teeth as he looked down on the ground. Then there was the smaller person who was on the left and simply stared down with a stoic look. His face resembled that of a weasel's, and he had long back hair which was held back by his Konoha hitai-ate, which had a line crossed through it; He carried no large weapons on him and he had some purple nail polish on his finger nails.

The person on the ground examined the man's face and his attention was instantly grabbed by a familiar and terrifying site. "Those eyes..."

* * *

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the sun cast a dark orange aura over Konohagakure no sato. Naruto was currently at team sevens training area, laying on the ground with his head resting on his left palm. It had been a few weeks since he had gotten his legacy scroll and been informed of completing the **Tenrai Sora Rasengan**. However, the task proved to be indeed quite more difficult than he had originally expected.

The five major elements all worked in a circular motion. Fire countered wind, wind countered lightening, lightening countered earth, earth countered water, and water countered fire. Trying to manipulate chakra so that it harbored all the elements at the same time was like trying to get a cat and dog in the same cage and have them not attack one another; in other words, it was damn near impossible to do.

On top of that, the jutsu required an enormous amount of chakra and concentration to help maintain it. Naruto had been practicing it everyday and he had only been able to combine the fire and wind element into it. Whenever he tried to combine any of the other elements into his **Rasengan, **it always ended up backfiring on him, and his **Rasengan **would explode in his right hand. And that is why he was on the ground at this very moment because of another failed attempt.

Naruto looked up at the orange sky as he stared at the small clouds floating by, a usual hobby of Shikamaru Nara. He rested his bandaged right arm on the ground and tried to ignore the nagging pain that kept stinging him. "_**I hope you keep on suffering for an eternity you damn bastard!"**_

Naruto let out a loud laugh as Kyuubi spoke in his head. When Naruto had informed him of everything that had happened when he opened his legacy scroll, Kyuubi was not at all happy. He was very angry at the complete irony of the situation. He had been defeated by a human being, who used him as a tool for Naruto to use. Naruto kept trying to ask him why he had attacked the village that night, but Kyuubi refused to answer him out of spite. His pride had taken a huge hit, and he had resorted to cursing at Naruto to take out his frustrations. But as time went on, he slowly started to accept it, and now his remarks were just there to annoy Naruto.

Naruto sighed as he lifted his right arm and unwrapped the white bandages from around it, so he could examine it. It was in a horrible condition and severely damaged. There were countless bruises all along his forearm, and he could see many of his veins having a dark shade of purple. He took a deep breath as he recoiled the bandages, and closed his eyes when he was finished. He was completely exhausted and tired. He had been trying to do the jutsu for nearly the whole day, and yet he hadn't progressed any further from the morning.

He lay on the ground and began to drift off into a light slumber. He began daydreaming about dewy meadows, miso ramen, and pink hair. _Hold on a second...Pink hair? _Suddenly Naruto felt two smooth hands cover his eyes and someone kneeling their head near his left ear as they whispered into it. "Guess who it is, and you get a special treat"

A grin appeared on Naruto's face as he knew exactly who the person was. But, instead of just saying her name, Naruto decided to have a little fun with it. "Well lets see...You have the most sweetest voice I have ever heard. Your incense reminds me of a flowery field. And you have the softest touch I have ever felt" Sakura's face had a tint of red on it, and her lips formed a smile as she heard Naruto's little speech. She was about to say something, but Naruto spoke first. "So was I right Ino?"

Bad move. Instantly, Sakura's blush and smile disappeared and her left eye began to twitch. A few veins popped on her temple and she began to shake slightly. _He thinks that I'm Ino-pig? Naruto...you are going to regret saying that!__** Shannaro! He thinks he can joke around with us? I think it's time to show blonde what happens when you upset this cherry blossom!**_

Sakura though about her inner selfs word and soon an evil grin appeared on her face as she formulated an idea. She bent her head down again to his left ear and give it a nibble on the outer edges. Naruto gave out a small snicker as he felt his ear being tickled. Sakura's grin got bigger as she leaned in closer and opened her mouth to speak. "You...guessed...WRONG!"

And before Naruto even knew it, he was sent flying a few hundred feet forward and sent crashing right into a tree. He opened up his eyes and saw stars everywhere. He quickly shook his head to get the blind spots out of his eyes and reopened them. When his focus became clear again, he looked up to see Sakura in front of him holding a small blue box in her right hand. She rested her hands on her hips, and was giving him a death glare.

Naruto gave her the nicest smile that he could conjure up and scratched the back of his head with his left hand. "Hehe, you know I was only joking Sakura-chan! I knew it was you all along, I was just having a little fun!" Sakura's facial expression didn't change and she stepped closer towards Naruto and sat down in front of him cross legged. She placed the blue box to her side and crossed her arms against her chest and stared directly at him. "Naruto, why is it that you always try to make me mad on purpose?"

Naruto couldn't help hold back the grin that came on his face as he heard her question. Why was it that he always tried to irritate her? Why was it that he actually enjoyed seeing her angry? Truth be told, it was simply because he liked the type of girl she was.

He liked her because of her feisty and hot-headed attitude. She was a strong girl, that wasn't afraid to speak her mind when she wanted to, and could prove it with both brain and brawn. She was a caring person who was really kind, and could be very affectionate. But she wasn't perfect. She had her faults such as, overreacting to certain situations, becoming really emotional, which usually ended up with her crying a lot, and of course her personality when she was younger was anything but pleasant.

But, all those reasons where why Naruto liked her so much. Yes she did have bad qualities, but they could be easily overshadowed by her good traits. All of those attributes where what made Naruto attracted to her in the first place. She was actually human. She wasn't your ideal fantasy or fairy tale girl that every male desired, but knew never existed in real life.

However, there was one thing above all else that he found most peculiar about her, and that was her sense to be acknowledged. It was this common trait that they both shared that he liked so much about her. That was why when he was younger he would do anything to grab her attention, including acting in the most rabid of manners. All his antics usually ended up with him having a meeting with one of Sakura's fists and being sent through a course of full blown pain. But in the end it was all worth it, just to get her attention and having her sooth skin touch his. Plus, he had mad healing powers, so if he was in any real agony he would have stopped a long time ago.

Of course many would see this as a pathetic attempt to try and get a girl who would never return his feelings, but Naruto ignored that idea and thought of it as more of a challenge. One of his goals was that he always wanted to be Hokage, so he could gain respect and acceptance from the villagers who despised him. But, how could he be able to convince everyone in the village to change their opinion of him, if he couldn't even get the girl who disliked him to change her point of view?

Even though he had finally gained her acceptance, Naruto still couldn't resist trying to twirl her feelings. It had become a habit for him, and he always enjoyed her reactions. "I don't know Sakura-chan it's just really cute to see you act that way. Whenever you get angry, and your left eye starts to twitch in that really funny way..."

He stopped talking when he heard Sakura crack her knuckles and step closer to him. Naruto quickly brought up both his arms to defend himself, but he would soon regret forgetting that his right arm was messed up. He winched out in pain as his elbow bent and a jolt of pain went all across his arm. He clutched his right wrist with his left hand as he tried to stop the pain from getting intense.

Sakura's former angry glare was replaced by that of a concerned look, as she got up and moved to the right side of Naruto. She saw his right arm covered in bandages, which slowly had red spots appearing on it. Her eyes popped out as she saw the white bandages beginning to get drenched in red and starting to leak through. She turned to see Naruto's face contort with pain and she quickly took action and tried to keep his arm stable.

"Naruto please calm down. I'm going to take a look at your arm and try to fix it ok?" she said with a professional tone. Naruto simply nodded as he closed his eyes shut and let Sakura unwrap the bandages from his arm. When all the bandages were removed Sakura grimaced at the site before her. Naruto's arm was cut up badly and had red blood leaking everywhere. His veins had become a dark shade of purple and were sticking out from underneath.

Sakura was surprised at the amount of damage on the arm and was wondering why it hadn't healed up on it's own like it usually did with Naruto's other injuries. She reached for a small scroll strapped to her belt and opened it up. In a puff of white smoke, a tiny little red box appeared and Sakura opened it up to reveal medical accessories. She put on a pair of plastic gloves and took out a small white cloth which she used to wipe the blood off.

Naruto scowled as the cloth made contact with his skin and brushed over the sensitive spots. Once Sakura had removed most of the blood off his arm, she reached back in the white box and pulled out a big alcohol swab. She looked up at Naruto to see him giving her an anxious look and shaking his head no way. Sakura gave him a nice smile as she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "It will only be for a few seconds so there is no need to be a little crybaby"

Naruto gave her a sarcastic look and rolled his eyes, which caused the pink haired kunochi to giggle. She held the swab with her left thumb and index finger and wiped it all along Naruto's arm while she held it steady with her right hand. Naruto yelled out numerous curses that were all bunched up together that it was too difficult to understand. He kept cursing as the now dark red swab slid along his arm and over his cuts.

Once Sakura had finished with that, she opened up a small trash bag and threw the red cloth and swab into it. She looked back at the now cleaned up right arm and examined it more closely. She noticed many dark purple spots all across it. After a while of deducting what these spots were, she finally came to the conclusion of why Naruto hadn't healed his arm on his own. The purple spots where actually his tenketsu points that controlled the flow of his chakra. They had been severely damaged and caused his chakra to flow abruptly.

Sakura turned to face the blond haired shinobi before she spoke. "Naruto, your chakra system in your arm is really damaged. These little purple spots are actually chakra burns. Is this because of that new jutsu you are trying to learn?" Naruto gave her a simple nod of his head. "That jutsu is so freaking hard to perform! Whenever I try to add more than two elements into my **Rasengan** it just blows up in my hand and messes up my whole damn arm!"

Sakura just sighed as she put her left hand over Naruto's palm and began to concentrate chakra into it. After about a minute, her hand started to be covered in a green aura, and she slowly moved her hand across Naruto's arm. As she slid her hand over it, all of Naruto's cuts and bruises slowly stared to disappear as well as the visible tenketsu points.

Once she was completely finished healing Naruto's arm, she dissipated her **Shousen no Jutsu **and took a closer look at it. The arm had fully recovered, and their were just some insignificant scars on top of the former cuts. Sakura gave a satisfied smile and turned to Naruto. "All done here. Your arm should feel just like normal"

Naruto looked at his right arm and slowly began to move it. When he felt no pain whatsoever, he began to slowly bend it a few times and found that it was indeed as she had said. He looked back up at Sakura and saw her giving him a cheery smile. He couldn't help but give her a foxy grin, as he quickly moved forward and fell on top of her and gave her a tender kiss on the lips.

Sakura was initially taken back his sudden movement, but quickly responded back as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head in closer. The kiss was passionate and Naruto slithered his tongue around the edges of her lips asking for entrance. Sakura got the message and opened her mouth a little to allow access for his tongue. Naruto pushed through the small gap and began to explore inside. He could taste a minty flavor as he slid across her teeth and licked her gums.

Sakura could sense his tongue raging in her mouth and she quickly leashed out hers against his and tried to push it out. There tongues struggled over one another for dominance, but in the end neither side faltered. After a couple of minutes, they both broke the kiss and took in a well deserved breath.

Cerulean blue met emerald green, as the pair looked deeply into one another's eyes. Sakura could see Naruto giving her an admiring look and she couldn't help but blush at his adoring stare. "Naruto why are you looking at me like that?" The blond haired teenager gave her a warm smile as he quickly reach down and gave her another quick kiss. "Because you are the most amazing girl I have ever met, and I could be lost in your angelic eyes forever"

Sakura gave out a few giggles as she pushed him off her and moved over to get the small blue box. Naruto stood up and walked over to a tree and leaned his back against it. He stretched his right arm again and just grinned as he felt as if it was stronger than before. Sakura came over and sat next to him as she placed the blue box between the two. Naruto eyed the box and turned to the pink haired kunochi to ask her what was in it.

Sakura picked up the small box and held it in her lap. "Well I originally came here because I know that you've been training so hard to do that jutsu, and thought that you might want a treat for all your efforts" she opened it up and pulled out a large plastic container which had "Ichiraku Ramen To Go" labeled across it, and a pair of chopsticks. Naruto's face instantly lit up as he grabbed the ramen cup and chopsticks from her hands. He quickly said "Itadakimasu" before he began to engulf the miso ramen and let the hot steam cover his face.

Sakura let out a laugh as she shook her head at seeing Naruto's carefree nature. After about two minutes had passed, Naruto had completely finished all of his ramen and he swiped his lips with the back of his hand as he gave out a satisfied sigh. He turned to face Sakura and saw her giving him her usual cordial smile. Naruto leaned over and grabbed her so she was sitting in between his legs. He put his arms around her, and intertwined his fingers with hers, as he drew her in closer towards his body. He rested his chin on top of her head and whiffed up some of her flowery fragrance into his nose. He let out a contemplated sigh and closed his eyes.

Sakura rested her head against his chest and began to play with his fingers. She was enjoying their closeness together and felt her body tingling with a resplendent feeling. Whenever she was around him she felt at ease and was always very comfortable. She didn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't, and could act like her natural self. When she was with Naruto, she felt all her troubles and pain being alleviated.

Was her relationship with him impeccable? The answer was simply no because nothing ever could be. Naruto did annoy her sometimes with his childish behavior and idiotic antics. His pervertedness was something she frowned upon (mostly because it excited inner Sakura), and a lot of times she couldn't keep up with his hyper activeness that could drive any sane person crazy. But, all that didn't matter because in the end, because he always seemed to bring a happy smile to her face.

He looked out and cared for her. He protected her at all costs and was willing to sacrifice his life just for her sake. She remembered the day where she had begged him to bring back Sasuke for her, because he was the only one that could do it. Even though he saw how much Sasuke meant to her, Naruto put aside his own happiness of ever having the chance of being with her, just so she could be happy. The willingness to do anything and everything just for her, would stir up feelings of admiration inside her. She admired his strength and ability to pull through in even the worst of scenarios. His "never give up" mentality was something she respected and revered.

Sakura lifted her head up off his chest and turned around to directly face Naruto. There eyes interlocked with one another and they continued to stare at each other for what felt like an eternity. Slowly they inched in closer by the second until there noses were barely grazing and they could feel each others warm breath on their face. Naruto gave her an amiable smile as he opened his mouth to speak. "You know Sakura-chan, if I had to pick whether you or ramen tasted better, I'd say you'd sure give ramen a run for it's money!"

The medic-nin give him a small chuckle as she turned her neck to the left slightly and barely touched his lips with her. "Well then I think it's about time that I ran ramen out of town.." and with that Sakura pressed her lips against his and pushed him backwards onto the ground. They both kissed each other fiercely and their lips where in perfect sync as they began to indulge in one another's flavor.

Naruto put his arms around her waist and brought her in closer to him. Sakura had her arms coiled around his neck as she lifted his head up to meet hers. This time neither one of them asked permission and simply stuck their tongues in one each other's mouth and began to explore their inner confines. Naruto began to slowly stroke Sakura's back as they continued their kiss. Sakura twisted her fingers around in his spiky golden hair as she gave it playful little tugs.

As Naruto continued to rub her back he couldn't help but lower his hands and grasp Sakura's rear. Sakura gave out a sudden gasp from the new made contact and accidentally nipped his lower lip. She opened her eyes to see a smirking Naruto. They both broke the kiss and Naruto quickly reversed positions so that he was now on top. He rested his head on Sakura's left shoulder and began to lay gentle kisses all along her neck. Sakura gave out gasps of pleasurable moans as Naruto occasionally nipped at her skin along the way.

He began to slowly leave a trail of kisses up along her neck, until he reached all the way up to the back of her ear and hit a particular pressure point right under it, that caused Sakura's body to relax. Curious to see the effects this spot had on her, he further continued to press at it and soon found Sakura's breathing get shallow and her body getting loose. A smirk appeared on his face as he made a mental note to remember that particular spot. He stopped his kissing and clenched Sakura's earlobe between his teeth as he whispered into it. "I think you just beat ramen to the punch, Sakura-chan"

A smile appeared on her face as she brought his head up to meet hers and began another round of zealous kissing. They kept on going at it and their tongues fought for dominance over one another. Naruto brushed his hands alongside Sakura's curves and with his right hand reached up to grab her left breast. Sakura gave a low moan as he gave it a soft squeeze and brushed his thumb over hardened nipple. Of course they were both fully clothed, but the contact still sent shivers up her spine.

They broke their kiss once again in order to catch their breath and Naruto planted kisses along her jaw line until he reached her ear and nibbled at it again. Sakura gave out another low moan as she had her arms wrapped around his neck and continued to play with his hair.

Naruto lifted his head up again and planted a wet kiss on her lips. He began to explore her body again and moved his fingers down to her inner thigh and started to make little swirls over her creamy skin. Sakura giggled as the tickling sensation sent blissful feelings that radiated through her body. But suddenly realization hit her when Naruto's fingers started to slowly inch closer towards her core.

Her eyes opened up in shock as she realized where Naruto was trying to go. He however still had his eyes closed as he engaged his tongue in her mouth. Sakura began to slightly panic as Naruto's fingers crawled closer to their intended target and were a mere seconds away. She wanted to stop him, but she was way too lost in the amazing passion. She couldn't bring herself to resist as rousing emotions circulated through her. _I need to stop this, before it gets out of hand!_

"**_Don't you even dare! This just feels way to good, and I don't ever want it to end!" _**yelled inner Sakura.

_No it's way to early for this, I don't care what you think, I've got to put an end to this!_

"_**NO don't do it!**"_

_Yes I am!_

_**No your not!**_

_Shut up it's my damn body, I'll do what I want with it!_

_**NEVER!**_

"Shouldn't you two get a room?"

Sakura instantly panicked at the new voice and quickly threw Naruto off of her and sent him flying into the air and had him crashing into the ground with a large thud. She swiftly got up off the ground and adjusted her disheveled attire. She turned her head to were she had heard the voice and looked up at the tree behind her.

And there he stood leaning against the branch of the tree with his favorite orange colored book in his left hand. He gave Sakura a nice smile from under his mask and a friendly wave with his free hand. Sakura looked up at him and gave him a death glare. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing spying on me and Naruto?"

Kakashi jumped down from the tree and landed in front of her and put his book back in his pocket. He stroked his spiky gray hair as he walked closer to his pink haired student. "I was supposed to come by and tell you both that Tsunade-sama would like to see you in her office for some urgent news. And where did Naruto go?"

Suddenly both ninjas heard a loud cracking noise and looked up to see some black clouds forming in the air. The center of the cloud formation began to swirl around vigorously and flashes of white light started to erupt. Then out of no where they heard a very loud growl and shifted their attention to the right and saw a _very_ angry looking Naruto walking towards them and slowly forming some hand signs. "Kakashi-sensei, you have pissed me of to no end! Stop interfering in my personal business, and get yourself a damn girlfriend! **Raiton: Akuma Shinzui**"

Both Sakura and Kakashi heard a loud bang in the air and covered their ears as the crackling noises intensified. A bolt of lightening quickly hit a spot near the two causing them to close their eyes and avoid the bright flash of white light. Once it had subsided they both opened their eyes to behold a most unusual site. There in front of them stood a girl that looked exactly like Naruto's "**Oiroke no Jutsu**" However, she was composed entirely of white light and bared all her assists to the world.

Sakura's jaw fell to the ground as she was utterly appalled at the the site before her and closed her eyes shut. Kakashi on the other hand, had a red blush form across his face, and he used his right hand to cover his mouth as he let out some perverted giggles. The lightening spirit saw his reaction and instantly became very upset and began to shoot lightening bolts towards the copy ninja.

Kakashi quickly broke from his staring and began to avoid the multiple electric projectiles aimed at him. He turned his head to look at Naruto who had a evil look on his face as he rubbed his hands with joy. Kakashi was about to say something, but another bolt of lightening struck near him. He yelled out loud and quickly left the training grounds. "I'll meet you at Hokage-sama's office!"

Naruto walked up to Sakura as he gave out a pernicious laugh and wrapped her in a hug from behind. He rested his head in the crook of her neck as he spoke into her left ear. "Sooo Sakura-chan, where were we..Hehehe" The response he got was not what he had expected. Sakura had quickly elbowed him in the abdomen and caused him to fall to the ground. He looked up at her and saw her face a color of crimson red. "I don't think so blonde! You heard what Kakashi-sensei said. We have to be at Tsunade-shishou's office right away!"

Naruto gave out a defeated sigh and stood up again to stand in front of her. He crossed his arms against his chest and gave her a pout. "There's no way I'm going to go the old hags office. She's just going to complain to me about that 'responsibility' and 'duty' crap she always spews out! I'm just trying to learn this new kick ass jutsu and she turns it into some stupid bullshit!"

Sakura saw his dubious look and knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince him. Of course she could just force him to come along with her super strength, but then he'd just run away. She thought about it for a few seconds until an idea finally hit her.

A wicked smile formed on her lips as she step closer to Naruto until she was right in front of his face. He looked at her and gave her a curious look. Sakura's smile got a lot bigger as she closed the distance between their faces and seductively licked her lips. "How about I make a deal with you Naruto. If you come along with me to Tsunade-shishou's office, we can continue where we last left off after we're done with her"

Naruto just swallowed the large lump in his throat as he heard Sakura speak with an alluring voice. Her lips inched closer to his and he closed his eyes as he came to meet hers. He leaned his head forward and could feel her warm breath right on his face. He then pushed his head further to make contact, but soon realized there was nothing there. He quickly opened his eyes to see Sakura running away from him.

Sakura turned her head around as she continued to run. "I'll see you there Naruto!" and she gave out a giant laugh and picked up her pace towards the Hokage's tower. Naruto just shook his head in defeat and began to follow after her._ I can't believe I actually fell for her little trick! Damn Sakura-chan why do you have my heart on such a tight leash? This sure better be worth it! _

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were all lined up in front of Tsunade's desk. The room was also occupied by Shizune and Jiraiya who stood behind the Hokage's desk. Sakura had just finished up healing some of Kakashi's wounds and Naruto couldn't help hold back his laughter whenever he gave out some agonizing groans. Tsunade just shook her head as she saw the masked pervert start to slowly recover. When all was done she turned her attention towards the blond haired genin. "So Naruto, how is your training coming along?"

Naruto gave her a bored look as he stared at his right hand and began to flex his fingers. "That jutsu is damn near impossible to do. Whenever I try to manipulate three or more elements into it, my **Rasengan** just explodes in my hand and fucks up my right arm!"

Jiraiya looked at his former student and shook his head before he began to speak. "You didn't expect it to be a piece of cake now did you Naruto? Don't think you can just automatically learn it. It will take hard work and determination to complete! Minato believed that you were the only one to do it, and that's a big responsibility that falls on your shoulders. Don't take this lightly!"

The blonde haired shinobi just gave him a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned his head down to the ground. "Yeah, yeah, I know you guys keep rubbing it into my skull! Don't worry I'll get it done..." Jiraiya became slightly angry at Naruto's unenthusiastic expression. "Naruto stop putting this off as some rudimentary task. You have to work very hard to get stronger. It will only be a matter of time before the Akatsuki come after you!"

Naruto looked up and saw Jiraiya now have a worried look on his face. Naruto had been informed of the group of S class criminals that had gone around gathering all the jinchuurki. The Konoha shinobi had been able to defeat five of their members (Sasori, Hidan, Kakazu, Deidara, and Zetsu), but the more powerful ones still remained out there and it was inevitable until they came for Naruto himself.

Was he worried about them coming after him? No he wasn't exactly worried, but he wasn't excited either. This was just another one of the many problems piled up on his plate. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but closed it when two puffs of white smoke appeared and he turned around to see two ANBU standing behind him. There was one that wore an eagle mask, and another one who wore a cat mask. The one with the eagle mask looked at Tsunade and spoke. "Hokage-sama we have urgent news. Orochimaru is in front of the gates and he his asking for Naruto-dono to come before him!"

Tsunade's eyes opened up in shock and she turned her gaze to look at Naruto who simply had a grin on his face. Naruto rubbed his hands together before he spoke. "Looks like the snake freak has comeback to get his ass handed to him again. Hehehe this is sure going to be fun!" and before everyone knew it, Naruto had disappeared out of the room and gone towards the front gates.

Tsunade quickly got up of her chair and addressed everyone in the room. "Quick we must go after him and make sure he doesn't do anything reckless! I find it odd that Orochimaru suddenly has returned and asked to challenge Naruto! Everyone let's go!" And she ran from her chair and towards the exit with everyone in the room following after her.

* * *

Naruto had approached the village gates and saw the white skinned sannin right in front of him giving him his usual nefarious look. Naruto stretched his body as he stood about a hundred feet away from snake master. "Well Orochimaru how do you want me to do this? How do you prefer to die and end your pathetic life?"

Orochimaru gave Naruto his natural laugh before speaking. "Kukuku, Naruto-kun you indeed have become very powerful and defeating you will not be an easy task. But, I have finally come up with a solution that will have you begging for mercy!" Naruto gave him a confused look and was about to shoot down his claim with some more insults, but suddenly felt the ground shaking beneath him and start to crack, as two large green snakes popped out and coiled themselves around Naruto's arms and legs. There grip was tight and he struggled to break away from there strong grasp.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura, Shizune, and various other leaf shinobi had finally arrived and saw Naruto being trapped by the two snakes. All of them looked up and stared at Orochimaru as he began to do some rapid hand signs and slams his hands together and yell out, "**Edo Tensei**" Everyone who was in the vicinity turned their attention to the ground right in front of Orochimaru and saw a purple portal appearing on the ground. Suddenly a brown coffin began to slowly arise from underneath. Once it was completely out of the ground, the latch to the coffin slowly opened and a zombie like looking figure stepped out.

Naruto's eyes popped out of his sockets as he realized who this familiar person was. He began to shake with furious anger and his purple chakra flared all around his body and incinerated the two snakes clutched on to him. Everyone who was behind him also was surprised to see this person come out. Only three people knew exactly who it was and knew the implications that it would have on Naruto.

Naruto's body was shaking furiously and he was covered in a purple aura. Orochimaru's thunderous laugh only added to his rage and Naruto felt as if he was about to explode. He looked at the new figure and felt his eyes burn with pain. He then looked back at a grinning Orochimaru. Naruto held his clenched left fist in front of his face as he stared down at Orochimaru. "You fucking bastard. You are going to regret pissing me off to this level! Get ready cause you are going to be in store for the worst time of your fucking life!"

* * *

**Tenrai Sora Rasengan **- Divine Sky Spiral Sphere (mine!)

**Rasengan** - Spiral Sphere (original)

**Shousen** **no** **Jutsu** - Mystical Palm Technique (original)

**Raiton: Akuma Shinzui** - Demon Spirit of Lightening (mine!)

**Oiroke no Jutsu **- Sexy Technique (original)

**Edo Tensei** - Resurrection to the Impure World (original)

**Author's Note:** I think now it's time to show you the evil genius that I truly am by leaving you all in suspense. Who could this person be that Orochimaru resurrected? And no, it's not the cliche bringing back the Hokages which is always overdone in stories, and isn't plausible because they are all in the death god's stomach. I don't think you have ever seen this person come back to life before, so it just might be your first time. Like always, thanks for reading the latest chapter!


	13. Uncertain Decision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But if I did...well you'd know what I'd do right?**

**Author's Note:** It's time to see exactly who Orochimaru brought back from the dead.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch. 13: Uncertain Decision**

Naruto stared at Orochimaru with a killer intent beaming through is eyes. His body was shaking vigorously and he was covered in a light purple aura. His jaw was clenched tight shut and he was grinding his teeth together out of frustration. He took a quick glance at the now resurrected person and felt his heart crunch inside his chest. He then heard Orochimaru start to laugh even more manically and felt his anger spike to a newer level.

Orochimaru raised his bent arms in the air as he began to speak. "Kukuku, what's the matter Naruto-kun? Aren't you happy to finally meet this person? The person who brought you into this world so you could 'save' this village? The person who gave up their life just for you? The person known as none other than Kushina Uzumaki?"

Naruto cringed as he heard the words come out of sannin's mouth. He returned his look back to the new figure and just stared at her. She had hazel colored eyes and long red hair that went past her shoulders. She wore a traditional orange battle kimono (Sakura's outfit in part 1) with a swirl symbol at the center. Despite her body looking quite gray and in a state of decay, her beautiful features where still evidently visible.

She looked directly at Naruto and gave him nice smile. "It looks like you have grown up very strong and well. I wouldn't expect anything less. You remind me so much of your father. I'm glad to finally have a chance to meet you Naruto, even if it isn't in the best of predicaments. I'm just so happy to see my wonderful son..."

Naruto's eyes turned red as he tried to suppress back tears. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. This was like living a horrible nightmare. How could he ever think to hurt his own mother? Suddenly he heard the oh to familiar and sinister laugh and looked up to see Orochimaru coming behind Kushina with a red seal tagged to a kunai in his left hand. He stood right behind the red haired woman and lifted the kunai above her head. "I'm sorry to cut this family reunion short, but I brought you back for a reason, and it was to torment the boy"

Orochimaru quickly stabbed the kunai in the woman's head and let it slowly sink in. Kushina gazed at Naruto and gave him a warm smile with a few tears trailing down her eyes. "I'm so sorry Naruto..." and with those words her expression quickly changed and her face took on an emotionless expression as the kunai had finally settled in.

Naruto body began to shake even more as his blood boiled with rage. Orochimaru continued to laugh even harder and Naruto's face was filled with anguish, sadness, and exasperation. He stared directly into the cold yellow eyes of Orochimaru as his purple chakra exploded all around him. Everyone in the area backed up to avoid the debris being blown everywhere.

Naruto had a few tears roll down his cheeks and he spoke with a trembling voice. "You...fucking..bastard...I fucking hate you so much...You piece of snake shit...I will fucking destroy you!!" and Naruto rushed towards Orochimaru with his purple chakra flaring and his eyes burning with pain and tears.

* * *

Sakura stood next to the two legendary sannin and Kakashi as she took in the conversation that had been taken before her. She was totally surprised at what she had just heard. There in front of her stood Naruto's own mother ready to attack him. She turned to look at all the people around her and saw everyone have gloomy looks on their faces. 

Tsunade had a few tears roll down her eyes as she looked in front of her. Jiraiya had his arms crossed against his chest as he continued to stare at the three figures before him. Kakashi maintained the same position as the toad sage, except he had his hitai-ate lifted up and his sharingan activated. All of the remaining Rookie nine had arrived as well as Team Gai.

There was a quiet silence around her and no one had spoken a word. She was troubled at the fact that nobody had decided to go and help Naruto. She couldn't stand there and just watch as Naruto's mind was being toyed with. How could that evil bastard do such a thing to him? This kind of cruelty was far beyond any normal human. Only a sick twisted mind such as Orochimaru could pull off something like this.

As Sakura saw Naruto's face wrench with sadness and anger, she herself couldn't help but clutch her chest as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She had to do something, anything at all. She quickly set off to rush towards the village exit, but felt a strong vice grip on her left shoulder and turned around to see Tsunade holding onto her. Tsunade shook her head as she looked at her student. "No Sakura you shouldn't go. This is Naruto's fight and we will only get in his way..."

Sakura felt her eyes sear with pain as she tried to force back tears. "But Tsunade-shishou we can't just let Naruto fight Orochimaru all by himself, it's too dangerous. Even if he is one of the strongest shinobi he needs our support!" she couldn't help hold back the tears anymore and let them escape her eyes.

Tsunade felt heartbroken to see both her favorite comrades in so much pain. But she knew that this was not for them to interfere in. "Sakura you have to understand that this battle will have a very strong emotional toll on Naruto. Our involvement will only place a bigger burden on him. All we can do is stay on the sidelines and support him by not getting in his way!"

The medic-nin was about to protest but knew she shouldn't because her masters words were correct. She gave out a pensive sigh as she turned back to face the area just outside the village. She saw Naruto lunge towards Orochimaru with his left arm stretched out ready to strike a punch at the snake sannin's face.

* * *

Naruto's fist was just a few inches away from Orochimaru's face and was about to make impact, when out of no where he felt a strong kick slam straight into his face. He was launched backwards and he hit the ground hard. He looked up to see Kushina landing in front of Orochimaru in a fighting stance with her same bland expression. Naruto jumped up off the ground and heard Orochimaru begin to laugh again. This only added fuel to the fire as Naruto's chakra flared up again. He made a perpendicular seal with both his hands and yelled, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" **

Three puffs of smoke appeared around him and three Naruto clones formed. All the Naruto's quickly rushed towards Orochimaru again hoping that one of them would distract Kushina and allow him to attack the legendary sannin directly. However as he came closer to his intended target, Kushina repeated the same action as he did and three clones also formed around her.

All the Uzumaki clones came towards another and made contact. However, Naruto couldn't bring himself to attack and let all the Kushina clones hit him in the mid section. All the Naruto's were thrown backwards, and the three clones puffed away as they hit the hard ground. The real Naruto groaned as he grabbed his stomach and got up. He looked towards the two figures and saw Orochimaru beginning to laugh hysterically. "Kukuku! How ironic that both mother and son share the same favorite ninjutsu! This is looking to be quite the entertaining battle indeed!" and he finished with even more evil laughs.

Naruto's rage was growing more and more by the second. He was on the verge of breaking. He couldn't believe it. How the hell was he going to be able to hit his own mother? The one person who brought him into this world? He knew he had to do something. He couldn't let this continue any longer. This wasn't his really her, and he knew she would never want this kind of fate.

Naruto was outraged beyond imaginable. His purple chakra was simmering all along his body and was feeding off his rage. Orochimaru continued to laugh even harder and this only built up Naruto's swirling emotions. He looked up with a petulant look and began to quickly perform some hand signs. "Shut the fuck up you fucking moron! Stop fucking laughing so damn much! YOU ARE FUCKING PISSING ME OFF!!! **Gufuu no ato Ikusen Reikon**!"

Suddenly out of thin air, numerous white ethereal demon souls began to swirl vigorously around one another and began to form a tornado. As they continued to form the tornado, there mouths were wide open and emitted ear piercing shrieks and screams. Everyone in the area except for Naruto and Kushina cupped their hands over their ears as the screeches got more intense. It wasn't too long before the white tornado had quickly formed and began to push itself towards both Kushina and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru quickly pushed Kushina into the oncoming tornado and jumped out of the way in order dodge it. Kushina was instantly sucked into the tornado and all people could see was a patch of orange amongst the white being spun around at amazing speed. The tornado continued to thrash around the landscape and started to pick up debris in the area. There were shards of rocks, dirt, and wood chips swiveling inside. They all began to strike the orange patch inside over a million times.

After a few minutes the tornado had subsided and all that was left was a mutilated body of a red haired woman on the ground. Naruto looked at the figure and just shook his head as the body began to slowly reform and take it's original form. Orochimaru came back into view and just laughed his ass off. "Kukuku! Oh Naruto-kun you amuse me so much. You really think it will be that easy to defeat such a creation! Your pathetic attempts are just futile. Continue to suffer you horrendous brat!"

The snake sannin's mocking kept seething Naruto's anger. He felt his insides sweltering like mad and he used this new found feeling to prepare his next attack. Doing some quick hand seals, Naruto yelled out "**Goukakyuu no Jutsu**" as he drew chakra from his mouth into his chest and immediately exhaled it. He brought his hand to his mouth and blew out the stream of fire which erupted into a large sphere of flames and aimed it towards Orochimaru.

Kushina promptly jumped in front of Orochimaru and did some hand signs of her own, as she yelled out "**Suiton: Suijinheki**" and blew out a jet of water from her mouth to act as a barrier from the oncoming attack. The giant fireball hit the water wall and instantly the two opposing forces struck each other causing a large amount of hot steam to form between them.

Once all the steam had dissipated away Naruto looked to see both an unharmed Kushina and a laughing Orochimaru. Naruto let out an angry growl as frustration built up inside him _What the fuck am I supposed to do!?! That damn bastard is using her like a pawn to protect him! How am I supposed to put an end to this sh..._

Naruto was broken out his thoughts when he saw some spherical water projectiles headed right at him. He quickly jumped to his right and rolled on the ground as he avoided three **Suiton: Teppoudama** being sent at his direction. Once he had avoided all of the attacks, he instantly got up off the ground and prepared himself for whatever came next. Kushina was about thirty feet away from him and did some rapid hand signs and yelled out "**Suiton: Taihoudan**"

Naruto saw her mouth suddenly begin to bloat up and then pop, when a large stream of water shot out of her mouth. The oncoming attack was too fast and Naruto didn't have enough time to get out of the way. He quickly did some speedy hand signs and said "**Doryuu Heki**" A small line of mud appeared on the ground in front of him and instantly grew into a gigantic mud wall that rose over twenty feet.

The humongous stream of water hit the wall and rocked it with such devastating force that the area around everyone began to shake. Once all the stream was drained out it had left a large dent right in the middle of the wall. Naruto released the jutsu and let the wall turn back into soft mud.

When he tried to look for his opponent's all he saw was Orochimaru standing far away and putting his hands together in the ram sign. Naruto gave a confused look as he wondered what Orochimaru was planning. But, he quickly stopped his gazing as he felt four presences suddenly surround him and spun around three hundred and sixty degrees to see four Kushina clones coming straight at him.

He quickly flipped into the air and avoided being hit. He took out a couple of kunai's from his pouch and threw them at two of the clones. However, they just jumped in the air and spin kicked them out of the way. Naruto began to reach for another set of kunai's from his pouch, but felt something strike his back and caused him to move forward. He was met with another hit right into his face and caused him to go backwards.

He began to realize that he was surrounded again and was being punched in all directions. He wanted to fight back, but he couldn't bring himself to hit his own mother. All he did was just quickly release some purple chakra from his body and caused the clones to instantly disintegrate without puffing away.

He recovered from the hits and started to pant deeply. He had used up a lot of chakra and needed to think of a plan quickly. He knew that there was no way to kill Kushina because her body would simply revamp into it's old self no matter what attack he did. The only way he had seen anyone defeat somebody who couldn't be 'killed' was with the **Shiki Fuujin**, but he didn't know that technique and also wasn't willing to die just yet.

Suddenly he heard a low and quiet voice in his head and realized that Kyuubi had reconnected their mental link. _**"You can always raise the gates and bring forth the reaper..." **_Naruto grimaced at the thought of it. He didn't want to think about using such an action on his own mother. But, he kept telling himself that it wasn't really her. It was just Orochimaru playing mind games with him. He knew he had no choice. He had to do this before things got any worse.

Unfortunately he was too caught up in his thinking to realize that his feet suddenly had gotten wet. He looked down and saw a puddle of water around his feet beginning to grow at a very rapid rate. He tried to get out, but suddenly felt a strong suction at the center of where he was standing pulling him in.

He looked at his mother and saw her doing some super fast hand seals. Once she had finished he heard her yell loud and clear some very unusual words. "**Uzumaki no ina Rita-n**" Immediately after she had finished saying it, Naruto heard water splashing all around him and he suddenly began to realize that he was in the center of a massive whirlpool forming out of no where. He couldn't escape as the suction was too strong and began to pull him in.

He was knee deep in water, which was quickly beginning to rise up to his abdomen. He cursed at himself for losing focus and not paying attention. But one thought keep coming to his mind. How did that woman have so much chakra to do all those techniques? It wasn't possible that she poses so much that it could almost rival his own. The water was quickly rising and was almost up to his neck. He had to do something in order to avoid being sucked in.

An idea quickly popped into his head and he did a few hand signs before yelling out, "**Doryuu Jouheki**" Suddenly the ground right in front of him began to collapse and cause a large crater to form. The crater reached deep beneath the earth almost a hundred feet. The water that was surround around him quickly got dragged in and began to fill up the giant hole. Naruto jumped out of the way and made a cross seal as he created ten clones.

* * *

All of the Konoha shinobi stood inside the village and watched as the battle continued to ensue. Many were amazed at the pure intensity that it was spewing. Tsunade couldn't believe what she was witnesing. She was familiar with Kushina's fighting style and the type of jutsu's she used. However, she also knew that she did not poses the massive amount of chakra to perform as many techniques as she had did. 

She looked to her left and stared at her former teammate who was in his usual stance of his arms crossed against his chest. He was staring attentively at the battle and saw as Naruto had just escaped the giant whirlpool forming at his feet. Tsunade felt uncomfortable as she remembered that being Kushina's strongest jutsu and would have normally left her to the point of near chakra depletion. Yet, she stood there completely unaffected and in perfect condition.

Tsunade didn't understand it at all and turned to the toad sage to ask what was going on. "Jiraiya what is happening here? If I remember correctly the **Uzumaki no ina Rita-n **requires tremendous amounts of chakra, and is her most powerful jutsu. How is it that she is still standing after all of that?"

Jiraiya just sighed as he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've been think about that myself for some time now and I think I finally understand how it's happening" Everyone that was next to him looked directly at him and prepared for what he had to say.

Jiraiya reopened his eyes and returned his attention to the outside area. "I don't have a full understanding of how the **Edo Tensei** works, but I know that it's a jutsu that lets you bring back a dead persons soul and let it inhabit a human vessel. The revived person will have full knowledge of their past lives and everything, but they won't have any chakra. That can only lead me to believe that she is actually using Orochimaru's chakra. That's why he keeps using her instead of doing anything by himself for the most part"

Tsunade took in his words and began to rub her temples. This whole situation was really becoming quite troubling. How was Naruto going to defeat her if she kept coming back to life? Was there any known method that could bring an end to this? She just shook her head and looked back at the scene in front of her hoping that it would end soon.

* * *

All of the clones quickly stepped far away from the battle field and cut their palms and put there hands together. They began to draw out as much chakra as they could in order to summon forth the gates. The real Naruto stepped a few feet away from both Kushina and Orochimaru. 

Orochimaru raised his eye brow as he saw the clones drawing out enormous amounts of purple chakra from their bodies. Suddenly the earth began to shake rigorously and everyone in the area had to hold on to something to maintain balance. The area right behind Orochimaru began to shake intensely and he turned around to see a humongous crack open up in the ground. Hot molten lava was filled inside, and in a matter of a few seconds those terrifying black gates began to slowly arise.

Orochimaru's face instantly changed from that of joy to fear. Those gates were not a site he wanted to see twice in his 'immortal' lifetime. He couldn't think of anyway to stop it except for cutting off the source. He turned his direction towards the ten clones and that were pouring out chakra from their bodies. He knew that in order to stop the gates from fully opening he had to destroy them all.

He quickly stretched out his right hand and said "**Senei Ta Jashu**" and manifested a torrent of over a hundred green snakes which extended from his sleeves and hissed their way towards the ten clones. When they were just about to make contact, Orochimaru heard a whizzing sound coming towards his snakes and looked to see a small purple spiral sphere surrounded by enumerable miniscule small blades that were shaped like a shuriken headed his way.

The **Rasen Shuriken **was moving at an incredible speed and Orochimaru did not have enough time to recoil his snakes and watched as the attack made contact with the heads of his snakes. The reptiles gave out a large shriek as there heads began to be sliced by millions of little wind created blades. Orochimaru watched as his snakes were being destroyed one by one and his **Senei Ta Jashu **becoming shorter rapidly.

He couldn't think of avoiding the attack because it was doing damage on the cellular level and destroying his chakra circulatory system in his right hand. He had no other choice but to disregard his current body and escape. His mouth was opened wide as two hands pushed it aside and Orochimaru jumped out of his former mouth and into a new body. His former body fell to the ground and the **Rasen Shuriken **made full contact from the arm to the body, and enveloped the entire thing causing a massive sphere of purple chakra to surround it and create an enormous abyss leaving only ash remains of the body.

Orochimaru fell hard on the ground and slowly got up. Once he was standing up he heard a very loud creaking noise and turned around to see the black gates beginning to open. He quickly cupped his ears as he heard an incredibly loud squawking noise came from behind him and threatened to burst his ear drums. He was staring at the black portal that was surging in the middle of the gates. Suddenly it burst into molten flames and Orochimaru closed his eyes as the bright blazing fire threated to blind him.

Once the flames had subsided and attained a more viewable level, Orochimaru opened his eye and gazed upon a site that actually sent shivers up his spine. There in front of him was a black ether like demon extending it self from the portal and floating in front of him. It had dark red eyes and four very sharp and long canines sticking out of it's mouth. It had a cylindrical body which was churning around rapidly. Orochimaru was completely astonished to see such a terrifying and unknown manifestation that he had never seen before. However, he had been staring too long and didn't catch the kunai sent flickering at him and striking his left arm.

He gave out a loud groan as he grabbed his left arm and looked at the kunai imembed in his bicep. He saw a small pouch and an explosive tag attached to the end of it. It was too late for him to dislodge the kunai before the tag exploded and caused the small pouch to burst open. The pouch released an oderless white powder that quickly surrounded the sannin and flowed into his nostrils.

Once the toxins had entered his body, Orochimaru felt his head starting to get dizzy and his eyes get hazy. All of his senses were confused and his reaction time was slowed down. He tried to close all of his openings, but it was too late and he felt his body in complete disorder as he fell onto his knees. He tried to get up, but was forced back down when he felt a strong kick right against his head and he slowly started to lose consciousness.

* * *

"What in holy fucks name!?!" Jiraiya's mouth fell to the floor as he looked at what he was witnessing before him. Everyone next to him looked at him curiously and were wondering why such a sudden outburst had erupted. He just continued to stare outside in pure stupefaction with his mouth wide open. Tsunade become irritated by not understanding what he knew and laid a quick smack to the back of his head. "Don't just leave us all out here with no idea what's going on! What is that _thing_ out there!" 

Jiraiya just massaged the back of his head as he scowled with pain. "That _thing_ from what I know is actually the demon soul reaper. He is located in the seventh dimension of hell itself. The only way that Naruto could have brought him out, was if he had actually entered the earth's core. But to think that Naruto would actually be able to bring _it_ out, truly concerns me..." Tsunade now had a concerned look on her face and bit her lower lip out of nervousness. "What are you talking about? Is this a problem for him?"

Jiraiya gave out a deep sigh as he crossed his arms again. "The demon soul reaper is actually locked away and cannot be opened by chakra alone. It requires the summoner's soul energy in order to be opened. Though it won't consume Naruto's soul, it's evil influence will have an effect on him. All we can hope for is that Naruto manages to defeat those evil implications before they overcome him..."

Tsunade eyes opened wide with shock as she looked back outside. She saw Naruto standing right in front of Kushina with his hands put together in the tiger seal. The black ether like demon was right behind the both of them and gave out a wicked smile as it came closer towards the red haired woman.

* * *

Naruto was sweating like crazy as he tried to keep his mind clear. He could feel the evil impulses spiking inside his brain. He maintained his stance as he had his hands together in the tiger seal. He was trying to hold focus as the black ether like demon was just a mere inches away from Kushina. Kushina was not moving due to Naruto having knocked out Orochimaru with his **Gokan Sakusou**technique. 

The black demon opened it's mouth wide as it slowly began to consume Kushina's body. She however, showed no change in her state, as she was being enveloped inside the gigantic mouth. Naruto tried his best to force back tears as he continued his best to maintain focus. Every part of him wanted to stop this from happening but he knew he couldn't do it. He was angry that both his parents souls would have to suffer for an eternity just for the safety of the village. His body was shaking and he was still covered in his purple chakra.

The demon had finally engrossed all of Kushina's body, and Naruto could see a golden sphere located in her abdomen. Naruto felt his heart extort with affliction as the soul reaper slowly recoiled it's self back to the black gates. Naruto stared at his mother and felt his eyes stinging with agony. He continued to look into her hazel colored eyes and could have sworen he saw a hint of sadness in them.

Just as about the black ether like demon was almost inside the portal, Naruto saw his mother actually give out a smile and mouth some unheard words to him. Even though he couldn't hear what she was saying, he had picked up what she was trying to tell him. _I love you _The soul reaper had finally receded back into the portal and gave out a chilling laugh before the portal shrunk into nothing and the black gates collapsed into the ground and closed up the crack it had left behind.

Naruto broke his stance and started breathing rapidly. He had his head bent down with his eyes closed. His fists were clenched tight as well as his jaw. His purple chakra was flaring all around him and gave out occasional large bursts. He heard someone groaning and turned to his right as he saw Orochimaru holding his head with his left hand and slowly trying to get back up.

Now all of Naruto's anger was directed towards one person. He felt every vein in his body pop with fury as his blood began to boil. He slowly walked over to Orochimaru and stood in front of him. Orochimaru slowly looked up and become immediately frightened when he saw the vicious stare that Naruto was giving him. Orochimaru couldn't think of anything to do. He has consumed up almost all of his chakra by using the **Edo Tensei**, **Senei Ta Jashu**, and his rebirth technique.

He was about to open his mouth to speak, but felt a jolt of pain strike his jaw as Naruto kicked his face and sent him across the field. He whined out in pain as he tried to get up again, but couldn't as Naruto was on top of him and began to rapidly punch his face. Naruto kept ramming his fists into the snake sannin's mouth and was beginning to be covered in blood. Orochimaru's fce was becoming more mutilated by the second and felt every bone is his face shatter. Naruto kept hitting him again and again causing numerous dents to be embedded in him.

Naruto's own face was filled with tears and anger. He was enraged beyond control and couldn't stop. "Are you happy you sick freak!?! Are you glad that both my parent's souls have to suffer? Do you know how it feels to do that to your own mother? Do you not realize how much fucking shit I've been through? How about I let you have a little taste then? **Akuma Seidou**!"

Orochimaru would regret leaving his eyes open as he was instantly sucked into the alternate dimension. He went through the exact same treatment that Sasuke had and could feel his brain on the verge of exploding with madness. It was something even more terrifying than his own sick mind could handle. Naruto's rage was still coursing through him as he kept smashing his fists into Orochimaru's face. The snake sannin's skin began to slowly peel away and revealed a pale body of a young woman. His teeth began to be chipped away and his mouth was filled with his own blood. His jaw had been broken and looked dislodged.

As Naruto continued to pound away at his face, all of the Konoha shinobi had abashed looks on their own faces. They became fearful of what was happening. It seemed as if Naruto had snapped and lost control. He kept on demolishing Orochimaru's already battered body and looked as if he wasn't going to stop any time soon.

Sakura persisted to watch what was going on and couldn't believe her own eyes. This was not the same Naruto she had been with earlier. This one was completely differently. She couldn't stand to see him doing this. She turned to her right and saw Sasuke standing next to her with his sharingan activated. He had a dismal expression on as he saw his best friend crushing Orochimaru's body. She turned all around her and just saw everyone looking on doing nothing whatsoever to stop Naruto. She couldn't stand this and felt herself getting angry. "What are we doing just standing here! We have to go stop Naruto!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya both looked at the pink haired kunoichi and saw her murky expression. They then looked at each other and knew they had to stop him as well. Tsunade just nodded her head. "Your absolutely right Sakura! We must stop him now!" And with that all of the Rookie eight, Team Gai, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Shizune rushed towards Naruto so they could stop his ass whooping of Orochimaru.

However, as they were just a few yards away from him, they heard twenty loud snaps and suddenly a burst of flames surrounded him and twenty very monstrous demons appeared. Everyone quickly backed away as the demons growled at them and took a defensive position. Naruto continued to pound away at Orochimaru's dismembered body and his fists were entirely covered in blood. "Don't you guys dare try to stop me! I will make this bastard suffer for all the shit he has put me through!"

All of the Konoha shinobi stood farther away from him and just watched as Naruto continuously kept attacking Orochimaru. He kept on hitting him square in the face and had destroyed his nose, teeth, and jaw. Orochimaru himself had never experienced such pain before. Naruto continued his onslaught for over an hour and fatigue had finally set in. He gave one final punch to the snake sannin's forehead and caused his skull to crack. He was panting very hard and was on the brink of collapsing "I hate you so much...you have put me through a lot of shit...and now I think it's time for me to end your worthless life!"

Naruto's body was engrossed in purple chakra and he made one single hand sign and yelled out "**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**" and in a humongous puff of white smoke two thousand clones appeared around him. All of his demons saw the infuriated faces on the clones and immediately become frightened themselves and went away in a burst of flames. All of the Konoha shinobi also saw this and slowly started to retreat backwards. The original Naruto grabbed Orochimaru by the collar with his right hand and lifted him up off the ground and held him up in front of him. "Enjoy your last seconds of life you son of a snake freak!"

Naruto then upper cut him with his left hand and set him into the air. A thousand clones jumped into the air and kept kicking his back as they simultaneously roared. "U..zu..ma..ki.." and sent Orochimaru higher and higher into the air. Then the remaining clones jumped off the other clones backs and high into the air. Every single one of Naruto's clones made a huge purple sphere in their right hands and came towards Orochimaru. Five hundred clones came from all four corners around Orochimaru and just as they were about to make contact they all shouted at the same time, "**Uzumaki Naruto Nisen Oodama Rasengan Rendan!**"

All of the Konoha shinobi watched as an enormous amount of purple chakra was on a collision course for one measly target. Jiraiya knew that this attack would be very powerful and destructive. He quickly began to run towards the village and yelled out. "Everyone get away! It's far to dangerous to stay this close! We could all die!!!" When they heard the words _die_ everybody panicked and started to yell and scream as they made there way towards the village for safety.

Naruto's attack had connected, and all of the two thousand **Oodama Rasengan** collided all around Orochimaru, who didn't even have a chance to scream as his body was pulverized with such intense pressure that he simply disintegrated into ash. After the body was completely annihilated, the **Oodama Rasgen** all smashed into one another and started to form a colossal sphere of pure purple chakra. They kept driving into the center and just caused it to get bigger by the second until it finally just exploded, and the entire landscape felt the effect.

The trees were all blown off their roots and sent flying away. Numerous pieces of tiny debris was scattered in every direction. All those who were running away to the village felt the explosion and fell down to the ground. The village walls felt the impact and shook intensely as a gigantic crack formed all along it. Finally everything had settled and all the people that had fallen stood back up and turned around. There was large cloud of dust expanding where Naruto had done his attack. They couldn't see anything because it was so thick.

The clouds of dust was slowly beginning to dissipate and they all saw a battered up Naruto slowly walking back towards the village. He was cut up and bruised everywhere and bleeding in multiple places. Naruto kept walking at a slug like place back to his home. He had a stark look on his face as he moved forward. He was probably a few feet away from the village when he saw the terrified and concerned looks on everybody's faces. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton and he slowly let them close.

Naruto couldn't move any longer and he fell on to his knees and collapsed onto the hard ground. There was only one thought going through his head before he passed out. _Should I continue living my life here?...Or should I just destroy it all?..._

* * *

**Kaga Bunshin no Jutsu - **Shadow Clone Technique (original) 

**Gufuu no ato Ikusen Reikon **- Tornado of a thousand souls (mine!)

**Goukakyuu no Jutsu - **Great Fireball Technique (original)

**Suiton: Suijinheki **- Water Encampment Wall (original)

**Suiton:** **Teppoudama** - Water Bullet (original)

**Suiton: Taihoudan - **Large Water Projectile (original)

**Doryuu Heki **- Earth Style Wall (original)

**Shiki Fuujin** - Corpse Spirit Sealing Method (original)

**Uzumaki no ina Rita-n - **Whirlpool of no Return (mine!)

**Doryuu Jouheki** - Earth Style Rampart (original)

**Edo Tensei **- Resurrection to the Impure World (original)

**Senei Ta Jashu** - Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands (original)

**Rasen Shuriken** - Spiral Shuriken (original)

**Gokan Sakusou** - Five Senses Confusion Disorder (original)

**Akuma Seidou **- Demon's Sanctuary (mine!)

**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **- Multiple Shadow Clone Technique (original)

**Uzumaki Naruto Nisen Oodama Rasengan Rendan **- Naruto Uzumaki 2,000 Hit Big Ball Spiral Sphere Combo (original and mine! **remix**)

**Oodama** **Rasengan** - Big Ball Spiral Sphere (original)

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dedicated to all those authors and stories that make Naruto a complete bitch and a damn pushover. I'm sick of seeing my favorite character being made into trash who's afraid to kill people and gets depressed over the stupidest things. Hope you liked this chapter, and reviews would be good to see. (Also, this is not the climax of the story just in case you were wondering, and Naruto is not invincible just wait till the story progresses)


	14. Life is But a Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But I'm currently filing a petition to have the copyrights handed over to me for my pure awesomeness...would you all sign it?...or just call me a pretentious bastard? **

**Author's Note:** Enjoy the latest chapter to the story!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch. 14: Life is B****ut a Dream**

The land was in complete ablaze and the village was in near shambles. Many of the buildings were either crumbled or on fire. The sky was filled with orange and reddish clouds that placed a dark aura over the land and hailed meteorites onto the ground. It was as if the apocalypse was happening right at that very moment. The voices of people screaming and yelling out bloody murder could be heard from every corner as the demons were hunting them down every man, woman, and child.

Konohagakure no sato was far from it's former glory days. It was nearly destroyed and on the point of total decimation. Right outside of it's busted walls were two very large black gates that were wide open, allowing access to every vile, filthy, and evil demon in hell. They scavenged through the village in search of their human prey.

Torn up and bloodied bodies littered the streets. The ground was a thick mixture of blood and dirt. The screams where starting to die down, as the villages population was dwindling to nothing. Standing on top of a heap of bodies right in front of the gates was a blond haired, blue eyed figure. He had his arms crossed against his chest as he saw the destruction of his former home taking place. He couldn't help but give out an evil laugh as he heard cries of pain and torture echo through the village.

A green skinned demon rushed over to him carrying something in its right hand. It's face was covered in red blood, and it had some flesh stuck between it's teeth. It raised the object it was carrying and held it in front of him. "I have brought what you asked for Naruto-dono. She was a strong one, but we were able to overpower her eventually"

Naruto focused his attention down and saw his demon holding the head of a dead Tsunade by the strand of her hairs. Her eyes had rolled back into her head and blood was still dripping from her neck. Naruto had a malicious expression as he grabbed the blue necklace around his neck and ripped it off with his left hand. He tossed it onto the ground and pointed at where it had landed. "Just place it over there next to the other ones..." he said in a monotone voice.

The green demon simply give him a nod as it ran over to the pile of heads and placed the one in his hand over it. He then left Naruto in search of more prey. Naruto scanned the village as he saw it in almost complete ruins. His **Kunrin no Houka **had been working perfectly, as the meteorites continued to shower down. He looked up towards the now ruptured Hokage faces and saw as they slowly began to crumble away.

He gave out another dissolute laugh as he continued to watch the destruction unfold. Why was he doing all of this? Why was he attacking his own home? The one he had sworn to protect with his life. The one he promised to lead and keep safe. After much deliberation he had came to one simple conclusion. Why the fuck not?

What had this village ever done for him? Except cause him grief and misery. He did his best to protect them but no one ever acknowledged it did they? When he defeated Gaara in his full Shikaku form and no one even congratulated him. When he helped bring back Tsunade to heal all his injured friends and become the Hokage, did anyone even say thanks? When he brought back the 'precious' Uchicha did they say 'mission accomplished'? NO, NO, NO! They were all ungrateful little bastards who shunned him away.

So why should he give a damn about any one of them in the first place? Why should he sacrifice his own happiness just for theirs? Maybe Gaara was right in the first place. _I live for myself, and only for myself_.

He looked over to the pile of heads next to his right side. All of the Rookie seven and Team Gai where there, as well as Kakashi, Jiraiya, Shizune, Iruka, and now Tsunade. Of course he did feel some guilt in murdering them, but they had gotten in his way. They tried to stop him. They told him what he was doing was wrong. Like he gave a damn either way.

He scanned through the village again and saw the countless numbers of dead mutilated bodies on the ground. He held no remorse whatsoever for any of them. He had done what he had to do. But now that his former home was destroyed, what else did he have left to do? Maybe he should plan for world domination next?

He continued to laugh as all the far fetched thoughts entered through his head. However, he suddenly stopped when he felt a familiar presence near him and looked down to see a bloodied pinked haired kunoichi standing in front of him. How she managed to sneak up on him, as well survive did grab his curiosity for a second.

The pair continued to stare at one another, without a sound slipping between their lips. She was in a wretched condition, with her body heavily bruised and bleeding. Her clothing was torn and she looked like she was about to collapse any second. He was amazed at her resilience as well as her courage to appear before him. After a while of neither of them making a move, Naruto got bored and crossed his arms again as he stood on the heap of dead bodies. "What do you want Sakura?" he said in a somewhat affronted tone.

Sakura just continued to stare up at him. She had on a disconsolate expression as she looked into his ice cold blue eyes. She couldn't ever imagine seeing him act like this. What happened to the real Naruto? Why was he doing all this? She couldn't take it any longer. The feelings of grief were too much for her.

She fell to the floor and landed on her knees. She began to let the tears stream down her eyes. She covered her face with both her hands to hide away her weakness. She hated crying. She hated to act this way. She was supposed to be a ninja. She wasn't supposed to be concerned with things such as 'emotions'. But she couldn't help it. She was human after all.

Naruto continued to look down at her, yet he showed no guilt. In fact he felt rather apathetic. He was starting to get bothered watching her break down in front of him. "I don't like repeating myself. I already asked you once. _What do you want!?_"

Sakura finally stopped crying and used the back of her hands to wipe away the tears. She looked up again and saw the same lackluster expression on his face. She looked at the heap of bodies he was standing on top off. The bodies of her fellow comrades and villagers. They had been all butchered so badly that they seemed almost unrecognizable. She turned to her left and saw the pile of heads on the ground.

She couldn't control it once again. She started to weep. Her tears trickled down her face like a waterfall and mixed with the blood stained ground below. Seeing nothing but the heads of her best friends and elders was to much for her. But, to know that they were all killed by the one she trusted most hurt her the worst.

She had to stop crying; she had to be strong. She used her forearm to cover her eyes and wipe away all the tears. She looked up again and was greeted with the same appearance as before. She opened her mouth to speak some trembled words. "How...could..you?...How could you...murder them...all? They were all your friends...How could...you do..his...to..your...home?"

She awaited his response, but he said nothing at all. He just continued to look at her. She focused her attention behind him and saw the black gates wide open. The flaming portal that had brought forth the destruction of Konoha was still swirling wide open. She could hear the sinister laughters all around her. She looked up at the red skies and saw the meteorites still hailing down and laying waste to the landscape.

She finally focused back on Naruto and saw him not move once from his position. Now she got angry and couldn't restrain herself as she punched the ground with her left hand and caused a large crack. "ANSWER ME DAMNIT! How could you do that to all of them?! Tsunade-shishou, Kakashi-sensei, Jaraiya-sama, Shizune-san, Iruka-sensei, Sasuke-kun, Lee, Neji, TenTen, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, even Akamaru! HOW COULD YOU MURDER THEM ALL WITH NO REMORSE!!"

Her face was filled with anger, anguish, and of course tears. Naruto however seemed indifferent to the whole situation. He just gave out a bored sigh. "I did what I had to do. They got in my way and I took them out; it's as simple as that"

Sakura couldn't believe his words. What was he saying? He killed them because they got in his way? They were trying to stop him from making the wrong decision. Yet, he killed them mercilessly and collected their heads like some sick trophies. But there was one thing that kept bothering her and she just had to ask him. "You killed them all, but what about me? Why did you leave me alone..."

Naruto stared into puffy red eyes and saw her aggrieved expression. He just laughed at her before he spoke. "Why didn't I bother to kill you? I assume you think it's because I actually care about you? Well sorry to disappoint you but thats not the real reason. The real reason is because your not even worth it..."

Sakura's eyes opened wide with shock as she heard his words. They cut deep into her heart and she felt it cringe inside her chest. She held her head down and just let the tears fall down her eyes. "Why...are you acting like this?..What's happened to you? What happened to the real Naruto I knew...The one I adored...the one that I trusted...the one that I lo.."

She stopped talking when she felt something warm against the side of her neck. She shifted her eyes to see the purple chakra blade near the crook of her neck. She turned her focus back up and saw Naruto stretching out his left arm and holding the sword hilt in his hand as he extended the blade toward her. Now he had a more serious expression on, and was giving her an indignant look.

His glacier blue eyes pierced through her emerald ones, and she felt as if he was looking into her soul. "Shut the fuck up.." Sakura was definitely taken back by his words. "Don't act like you care about me, because in reality I know what you really are Sakura..." Sakura was completely baffled hearing his words. What was he saying? What did he mean? Why did he not use the suffix after her name like he always did? Was this the real Naruto? "Don't act so surprised there Sakura. We both know how you really feel..."

The pinked haired konoichi looked up at him again and continued to just stare. He had a cold expression on his face as looked at her. "Weren't you the one who used to always make fun of me when we were younger? You used to call me annoying, weak, and a loser" Sakura felt hurt by his words, because she knew that she was the one that actually said them. Even though her eyes had dried up, she still felt tears trying to force themselves out.

Naruto just ignored her and continued. "However, now I realize that you were just displaying your own insecurities onto me. The love of your life called you annoying. You were the weakest out of all of us. Even TenTen could beat your ass. And I think we all know who the real loser is. You broke your friendship with your best friend over a stupid boy. The friend who protected you from all those bullies and how do you thank her? By rejecting her friendship!"

Sakura felt horrible at what he was saying because it was all true. Now that she thought about it, she realized just what kind of person she had been. She couldn't think of anything to say, but she had to say something. She felt her eyes getting wet again and she started to cry. "I'm so sorry Naruto" she said in between sobs. "Everything you said was right...I made a lot of mistakes in the past and I hurt a lot of people..especially you.."

Sakura felt the blade get closer and sizzle the skin of her neck. She looked up again and saw Naruto giving her a resentful look. "Your damn right you treated me like shit! Always yelling at me! Always hitting me for the stupidest reasons! Always overlooking my accomplishments!" Sakura could hear the fury in his words and felt his blade shaking slightly.

Naruto tried to remain calm and collected, but there was something deep inside of him that pushed him to go on. "I saved your ass when Gaara was about to kill you, but you didn't bother to say anything to me. You actually thought it was your beloved 'Sasuke-kun'. I brought back Tsunade to heal your precious 'Sasuke-kun' and what do you do? You completely ignore me and throw yourself all over him while you don't even bother to say a simple thanks! AND when I brought him back from going to that pedophiles lair, what did you say? You said you were sorry that the villagers treated me like shit! Except, you forgot that the worst one of them all was you. YOU!YOU!YOU!"

Naruto had seriously blown off his top. He was fuming like crazy and it was scaring Sakura. She kept on crying. She didn't know what else she could do to release those horrible feelings inside of her. Was she really such a bad person? Had she never noticed how bad she acted before? "But, Naruto I did say sorry...when you returned..don't you remember on our date..?" she said with her voice still trembling.

Naruto just shook his head as he as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right hand. "And how long did it take you to finally say those words, huh? After more than five years? It took you over five years to think over how shitty of a person you are?"

Naruto's voice was bitter and irate. His words were harsh and jarring. But Sakura knew he wasn't exaggerating or lying. She was so angry at herself for acting the way she did. But, she did feel that he was blowing it out off proportion. "Naruto...all that you've said is true...Yes, I did act horrendously, but you have to understand that I was only twelve years old at the time...I was young and naive...I didn't recognize my stupid logic..But now I want to change all of that...I want to correct my mistakes...I want to make it all up to you.."

And she looked up at him with tears flowing down her eyes. Her face was filled with penitence and her eyes were begging for forgiveness. However Naruto remained unaltered by her words. He just stood there on top of the dead bodies extending his chakra blade with his left hand. "It's too late for that Sakura. Konoha is pretty much destroyed, and all your loved ones are dead. There is no other reason for you to continue living...You don't deserve me anyways..."

Sakura just wiped away the tears from her eyes. But instead of being sad, she did the most unusual of things and actually put on a weak smile. She stared into Naruto's sapphire blue eyes and did her best not to break down in front of him. "Then Naruto...I hope my death can make up for all those terrible things I did and said to you..." Naruto was a little taken back by her sudden confidence and proposal. Was she really willing to die? Was she really willing to give up everything just for the mistakes she made in the past? Maybe he should reconsider...

Naruto just shook those thoughts out of his head. He moved his hand off to the left slightly as he made some distance between his blade and her neck. He took one quick look at her and saw her still giving him a sad smile. "I just want you to know that I always have and will care for you Naruto. Even if I didn't show it sometimes, I did deep down in the bottom of my heart..."

Naruto felt his arm shaking as a part of him wanted to recede his chakra blade and stop his actions. But there was another part that didn't and forced him to go along. He stretched his arm as far as he could and just as he was about to swing it he said, "This will hurt me more than it will you...just so you know..." and in a flash he swung his blade right at her neck.

But right before he made contact with her skin, it was as if time had suddenly slowed down and he could see as his blade was inching closer towards her. He started having a weird feeling. Regret? Was he actually making a mistake? He had to stop this, but he couldn't and his blade was just a a couple of inches away from her neck.

He pushed every fiber in his body to stop but it wouldn't and the blade just came closer and closer to her neck. He started screaming in his head to stop, but he couldn't. _What the fuck am I doing! Am I crazy! I need to stop!!!_ But all his attempts failed and now the blade had made contact. Naruto eyes started to get heavy and he felt like he was about to pass out. He then heard Sakura scream and he forced himself to open his eyes, but they cringed tight shut. _What the fuck is going on! What in the fucking world!!! What is this..._

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes to find that he was in a white room and that he was lying upright on a soft bed. He was slightly sweating, and he tried to move his body but felt sore all over. He scanned the room and saw flowers, cards, and balloons on a table to the right side of the room. He tried to move again, but felt something heavy on his stomach and looked down to see a mop of pink hair on top of it. 

Sakura was sitting in her chair and leaned in towards the bed, as she rested her head on her folded arms on top of Naruto's stomach. She had a pleasant smile on her face as she seemed to be in a deep sleep. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he saw her peaceful expression. He thought back to his dream and all the things that had happened.

Would he really have gone through with it? Would he really have destroyed all of Konoha? Was he willing to kill all of his friends? But most of all, was he willing to kill Sakura? He remembered saying the most crude words to her. He down right insulted her and made her seem to be some evil psycho bitch. What was he thinking? How could he even dream about such crazy things?

He turned his focus back to the girl resting on his stomach. She looked insanely tired and had some bags under eyes. He looked over to his right and examined the contents on the table. There were two orange balloons that said "Get Well Soon!" labeled on them, floating in the air. They were about a dozen different colored cards that said the same things such as, "Hope you feel better!", "You are a dobe", and "Teach me some damn moves!..and get well!"

He then looked at the small glass vase at the end of the table, which had a fresh daffodil placed inside of it. Naruto just smiled as he knew that meant Sakura had been in his room nearly everyday. How long had he been out for anyway? Had it just been a day? He looked back at the person resting their head on his stomach.

She looked so calm and placid that he couldn't imagine her being the same person he had seen earlier. The other person looked so miserable and nicked, while this one was the sheer opposite. He couldn't believe she was real, he had to make sure with his touch. He reached out with his right hand and slowly started to stroke her hair.

Sakura's peaceful expression soon turned to a dejected one as she seemed to be irritated by Naruto's touch. Naruto raised an eyebrow wondering where this sudden change came from. Sakura squeezed her eyes as she began to rub her head against her arms. "Naruto...we've already done it four times! I'm tired and I need some sleep!"

Naruto's jaw fell down to his chest as he heard the pink haired kunochi's words. _Did she just say what I think she said? Hehehe hope you aren't having wet dreams Sakura-chan!_ He then began to fiddle with her hair some more as he stretched his neck forward so he could to speak into her left ear. "Oh come on Sakura-chan, just one more go please!"

Naruto shouldn't have antagonized the sleeping girl as she took on an annoyed look and accidentally punched Naruto's nose with her right hand, causing the blond haired shinobi to fall back against the bed. Sakura opened her eyes and lifted her head up and looked directly at Naruto "I said I needed some sleep! Just cause you have a lot of stamina doesn't mean I can go on forever too!"

After she finished her statement Sakura cupped her hands over her wide open mouth as she realized what she had just said and at what she had just seen. Naruto was clutching his nose with both his hands as he let out a loud groan.

After her brain finally straightened out all of her scrambled thoughts Sakura threw herself on top of Naruto and began to kiss him all over his face. Naruto who was surprised by this sudden change of affection just lay there and enjoyed the nice touch. After Sakura had kissed every single spot on his face, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his right shoulder.

Naruto felt some warm drops on his hospital gown and realized that Sakura was actually crying and could hear her sniffing near his ear. He wrapped his tired arms around her and just patted her back. "Hey what's wrong Sakura-chan? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

Sakura quickly got up and escaped from his grasp. Naruto's neck quickly shifted to the left as he felt his right cheek stinging with a burning sensation. He readjusted his neck and turned to see Sakura looking directly at him with tears still falling down his eyes.

"You Idiot! Do you know how long you've been out? Three weeks! You've been out for three whole weeks Naruto! All because you wanted to show how cool you are! Do you know you would have died from complete chakra depletion if we didn't get you to the hospital in the nick of time!"

Naruto continued to stare at the pink haired kunoichi as he saw her looking directly at him with tears still rolling down her cheeks. He kept having flashes of his dream in his mind, but he pushed them off to the side. "Hey I'm sorry Sakura-chan...I really am. It's just that when Orochimaru brought back my mother, I had all these different emotions going through me. I was angry, upset, sad, and hurt. I just lost control...especially since I had to seal away my mother's soul to an eternity of suffering...I didn't know what I was doing...I just snapped...I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way..."

Sakura looked at Naruto and saw him giving her a sad smile. She felt horrible after realizing what his situation was and what his thought process must have been like. She bent her head down and laid it against his chest. Naruto felt that this time the situation was different and he re-wrapped his arms around her.

Sakura slowly started to sob away into his chest as she clutched Naruto's gown with her right hand. "Naruto I don't blame you for what you did. I can't even imagine what all that must have been like for you...It's just that I didn't want to lose you...I hated seeing all of that happen to you and wanted it all to stop. And when you finished off Orochimaru with that powerful attack and I saw you fall lifelessly to the ground at the end...I thought I had lost you forever..."

Naruto listened all the way through her sniffed words. He just tightened his grip around her and brought her in closer to his body. "Hey you don't need to worry about me at all. I know my own body and my limits. I wouldn't do anything dumb that involves killing myself. I know I act like an idiot sometimes...but I'm not that stupid!"

Naruto then heard Sakura give out a few giggles as she lifted her head up and gave him a smile. She leaned in and give him a peck on the right cheek before she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his right shoulder. "You might act like an idiot sometimes...but your still my favorite idiot"

Naruto gave out a small chuckle as he rested his head back against the pillow. His dream was still very lucid in his mind. Usually he'd have dreams involving ramen, and he'd eventually forget about it. But this one was different. He kept thinking about it over and over again.

Was he really willing to do all he had done? How could he kill his own friends? How could he destroy everything that was precious to him? Were they really precious to him...Or was that what he just wanted to believe?

"Naruto, is something wrong? You are awfully quiet and that sure isn't like you.." said Sakura as she sat up and looked at him. Naruto looked directly at her and saw her have a concerned look. He put on his usual foxy grin as he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. "No..it's nothing at all..I was just thinking...about some stupid dream I had..." _Oh...shit!_

Sakura gave him a questioning look as she raised her left eyebrow. "Care to explain what you were dreaming about?" Naruto started to sweat slightly. Should he tell her what had happened? How would she react? Would she get mad at him? He had to think of a something. Anything!

And then an idea quickly shot into his head. "Oh ahh I was just dreaming about ramen...Yeah...I was dreaming about this big bowl of ramen...and you were swimming in it..." Sakura gave him an even more puzzled look. "You were dreaming about me swimming in a bowl of ramen? What other kind of weird dreams do you have about me?"

Naruto started sweating even more. What kind of stupid idea was that? Maybe he should have paid more attention in the academy about deception... He saw Sakura's left eye start to twitch. Bad sign. "I hope you weren't dreaming about anything perverted!" Salvation at last! He found his answer. Naruto put on his trademark grin and look directly at her. "Well what if I was? I'm sure I'm not the only one around here who's been having them...By the way Sakura-chan, was I really that good?"

The tables had turned, and now Sakura was on the spot. Her face was a bright red and she bit her bottom lip. Naruto was just grinning from ear to ear as he knew his counter had worked perfectly. Sakura didn't like the look he was giving her and turned away to hid her embarrassment. "I don't know what you are talking about...You must be imagining things..."

Naruto started to laugh as he poked her left side with his index finger. "Haha, don't deny it Sakura-chan, your a closet perv! You know you don't have to dream about those things cause I can make all your fantasies a reality!" Sakura looked at him and gave him a half angry a half embarrassed glare. "Your lucky that I rather finally see you get out of here today, instead of another two weeks!"

Naruto gave out a few chuckles as he grabbed her and gave her a big hug. "Haha, theres no need to get upset Sakura-chan. Remember what you said right before we left to go to Tsunade-baachan's office? I think it's time you held up your part of the deal!"

Sakura just shook her head as she still had an annoyed expression on. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she was happy to see Naruto acting like his goofy old self. She remembered seeing him go berserk just a few weeks ago. It was so unlike him and the chakra he had been emitting was terrifying. It actually sent shivers up her spine.

Naruto possessed a power that was beyond imaginable. The ability to control creatures of the underworld, as well as an assortment of omnipotent jutsus was mind boggling. This power he had know achieved was a serious concern. He could accomplish many things with it, and all Sakura could hope for is that she didn't have to relive what she had witnessed earlier. It was scary seeing him act like that and it made her feel very uncomfortable.

Suddenly she felt some hot air near her left ear as Naruto leaned in and whispered into it. "Sakura-chaaannn, You can't go around making promises and then not fulfilling them. I went along just like you asked so you owe it to me!"

Sakura shifted her head around to look at blond haired shinobi. He was giving her his classic grin and had an ardent expression on his face. Sakura just gave out a small laugh as she inched her head closer to his. "I guess I'd be a real big hypocrite if I didn't hold up my end of the bargain now wouldn't I?" and she closed her eyes and puckered her lips as she got closer.

Naruto eagerly awaited contact and closed his eyes as well. Both could feel the others warm breath on their face and just when their lips were centimeters apart and were about to touch, they suddenly heard a knock on the door. Sakura opened her eyes and quickly turned her head around to face the door as she felt something wet hit her left cheek.

Naruto opened his eyes and gave out a groan as he realized that he had missed his target, as well as someone had ruined his moment. The knocking on the door continued and the door knob kept turning. However the door did not open due to the fact that it was locked.

Sakura was about to get up off the bed to open it, but was dragged down as Naruto grabbed her and pulled her in to him. "Just forget about it Sakura-chan. Let's just stay quiet and pretend were asleep or something" he said in a low whisper.

Sakura struggled against his strong grip, but Naruto didn't submit and had his arms wrapped tightly against her waist. Sakura stopped squirming and gave Naruto a splenetic glare. "Naruto...if you still want you arms attached to your body, I suggest you let me go right this instant!"

Naruto gave her a disappointed look as she had ruined his little plan by yelling out loud. He unwillingly released his grip and crossed his arms against his chest. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her.

Sakura heard him mutter 'spoilsport' under his breath and just giggled at seeing his pout. She reached out with her left hand and pinched his right cheek. "No need to get upset Naruto. We can finish this sometime later"

Naruto just pulled his head away and gave her dismissive wave with his left hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You just always want to ruin my fun.." Sakura just laughed as she hopped up off the bed and walked towards the door. She put her hand on the door knob and unlocked it so she could open the door. Naruto watched as the door opened and a bunch of familiar people walked in. A big smile was plastered on his face as he saw all his friends walk in.

Sasuke was the first to come in to the relatively large hospital room and stood on the left side of the room next to Naruto's bed. Followed behind him was Neji and Hinata who took a position near the window on the right side of the room.

Shikamaru came in and sat down on the spare chair in the back of the room, with Chouji and Ino standing on his left side. Kiba walked in to the room with Akamaru and stood next to Sasuke. Lee, TenTen, and Shino were the last ones to come into the room and stood against the back wall near the door. After letting everyone in, Sakura closed the door and took her own seat on the right side of Naruto.

Naruto scanned all around the room and saw everyone with mediocre expressions. His smile soon disappeared and was replaced by a puzzle look. All of his friends were avoiding eye contact from him. Sasuke had his arms crossed against his chest as he examined the ivy pole next to him.

Neji simply stared out the window and watched as the sun was beginning to set. Hinata was pressing her index fingers together as she stared at the white tiled floor. Shikamaru was just fumbling around with the cigarette pack in his hands, while his two teammates just watched him.

Kiba was looking at Akamaru as he continually scratched the spot near the back of his companion's ear. Lee was looking at the bandages on his arms and making sure they were secure, while TenTen watched him. Shino's expression was unrecognizable since his face was concealed by his hood and sunglasses, but he didn't make any sudden movements.

Naruto then looked at Sakura who had the same puzzled expression as him. When he looked back at everyone and realized none of them had stopped doing what they were, or had muttered even a sound Naruto decided to break the silence. "Uh...Why are you guys all quiet? You all look like somebody died or something"

Upon hearing the blonde haired shinobi speak all of his friends looked at him. They all gave him a sort of weak smile, but their uncomfortably was present. Sasuke walked closer to Naruto until he was right in front of him. Naruto just looked up at his best friend and give him his normal smile. Sasuke on the other hand had his usual stoic look.

The two teammates just stared at each other for a couple of minutes while everyone in the room just watched the pair. Naruto noticed that Sasuke's sharingan was activated and was a little surprised to see it. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but felt something strike his jaw and he winched out in pain.

Everyone in the room was taken back and the female ninjas all gasped as they saw Sasuke punch Naruto in the face. Naruto held his jaw with his left hand as he turned to look at the person who had hit him. "What the fuck is wrong with you Sasuke!" yelled the enraged shinobi.

Sasuke just rubbed his right knuckles in the palm of his left hand as he continued to look down. "No Naruto..I think the question is what the fuck is wrong with _you_! You said it looks like somebody died. We all thought you had died! Why didn't you let us stop you? Why did you have to do all that unnecessary bullshit! Don't you realize we all care about you! Yes we are all shinobi of Konoha, but more importantly we are all your friends!"

Everyone in the room could hear the rage in the Uchiha's voice. He was visibly upset and only those with a trained eye could see the edges of his eyes slightly wet. Sakura just watched as her two teammates continued to stare down one another. She was aware of the rivalry they both shared, but there bond of brotherhood was stronger. She knew that Sasuke would never break his usually calm manner unless he was really upset.

Naruto took one look at Sasuke before scanning the room. Everyone of his friends had concerned looks on their faces. All of a sudden images of his dream popped into his head. He remembered the destruction of Konoha. He remembered the bodies that he stood on top of. But more disturbingly he remembered the pile of heads next to him. The collection of all his friends and people who were important to him.

Was he seriously considering doing what he had dreamed? The people in the room all had anxious and distressed looked on their faces. They were visibly concerned about his welfare. Would they really do anything negligible to him? How could he bring any sort of harm to them?

Naruto looked back up at Sasuke who was clearly still angry. Naruto simply gave a sigh as he rubbed his jaw. "Hey I know you guys are all concerned about me...and I'm sorry that I lost control...I should have kept my emotions in check...but..it was just really stressful for me...I mean I've never actually seen my own mother before...and to see her like that was just too damn painful for me...I lost it...and I'm sorry if I upset any of you..."

Shikamaru stopped fumbling with his cigarette pack and placed it in his vest pocket before he looked at Naruto. "You didn't upset any of us. I'm pretty sure all of us would have reacted the same way that you did in that kind of situation" Naruto looked around to the room to see everyone giving a slight nod.

Sasuke just deactivated his sharingan and closed his eyes as he crossed his arms. Sakura placed her left hand on top of Narutos right and gave him a reassuring smile. Naruto returned the smile as he faced back all of his friends. "So you guys aren't mad at me for acting like a real dumbass then?''

Kiba actually laughed as he heard his friends words. "Naruto, dog you are a fucking G is all that I can say! You've got some real kick ass moves and you better start showing us how to do some of them!" Everyone gave a slight laugh at hearing the Inuzuka speak.

"What Kiba says is true Naruto-kun. That last attack you did was truly the epitome of the explosion of youth!" said Lee has he gave him his trademark nice guy pose. Hinata gave a small laugh as she saw the enthusiastic green spandex wearing shinobi help lighten the atmosphere. "What they both said is true Naruto-kun. You are an inspiration to us all. Because of you I was able to get stronger and now I'm can become the leader of the Hyuuga clan with Neji-niisan helping me"

Naruto looked at Neji who didn't have his usual stoic look and had placed on a smile. "Hinata-sama is correct Naruto. Your acts of courage and heroism has indeed inspired us all to become stronger" Shino had his hands placed in his pockets as he looked at the boy laying on the bed. "You have done a lot for this village and that is something that deserves much respect"

Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's left shoulder. "You have looked out for all of us Naruto. You have done everything that you can possibly do. But you don't have to do it on your own. We are all here to help"

Chouji nodded his head in agreement. "You have an incredible power Naruto. You probably are the strongest out of all of us. I just hope you keep that power in check" Ino chuckled as she heard the barbecue pork lovers words. "Oh we don't need to worry about that...I'm sure a certain possessive forehead girl can keep him in line"

Sakura just stuck out her tongue at the platinum haired kunoichi. "Your just jealous that I have a super cool boyfriend Ino-pig, and that your going to be single for the rest of your life!" Everyone in the room got a sweat drop behind their heads as the two rivals were about to square off.

Ino had a few veins pop on her temple. "Well I don't really get what he can see in a person who has a billboard for a forehead!" Now Sakura had a few veins pop on her temple. "I dare you to repeat that!" she said as she was about to get up off her chair. Ino also moved in closer but was restrained by Chouji who grabbed her from behind.

Sakura was stopped when Naruto grabbed her and pulled her in."Whoa Sakura-chan just relax. You haven't had much sleep so your a little cranky. Can you please just calm down for me?" Sakura looked at the blonde haired shinobi and saw him giving her a puppy dog look.

She just shook her head and eased down next to him. She shot Ino a menacing look before she spoke. "Well finish this later Ino-pig!" Ino was about to say something but Chouji cupped her mouth and proceeded to drag her out the door. "I think it's time we all left now because visiting hours are over. I'll see you later Naruto!"

Everyone in the room just laughed and said their goodbyes and filed out of the room leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. Naruto laid back on his bed and was just thinking about what everyone had said to him. They were so supportive and admiring of him. There words were encouraging and he felt so flattered hearing them.

But is dream kept popping into his head. All the images of destruction and carnage kept flashing in his eyes. Why was he constantly thinking about it? Why wouldn't it just go away? Why was it being such a nuisance to him?

Naruto closed his eyes as he rubbed his face with his right hand out of frustration. Sakura noticed this and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she sat closer to him. "Whats up Naruto? Something on your mind?" Naruto opened his eyes and saw Sakura have a perturbed expression on.

He just smiled as he shook his head. "Nah it's nothing. I was just wondering when I was going to get of here" Sakura smiled as she rested her head on his right shoulder. "Well from my medical judgment you look perfectly fine and your vitals are all perfect. All I need to do is file the discharge papers and then we can go home"

Naruto nodded his head all the way through her words until he analyzed what she had completely said. He had a surprised look on his face as he turned his neck to the right. "Wait a second..what do you mean _we _can go home?"

Sakura just giggled as she picked up her head and looked directly at him. "You don't think I'm just going to let you go home by yourself with no one to look after you. I'm coming along to make sure you are alright"

Naruto was clueless on what to say. Sure he'd want her to come stay with him, but now his dream kept popping in his head. He kept having flashes of everything that had happened. What if he had another dream like that again? What would be the implications? He had to be careful and understand his situation.

Sakura continued to look at Naruto who simply had a dazed expression. She raised her left eye brow in confusion. "What's the matter Naruto? You don't want me to move in with you?" Naruto broke from his thoughts and just rubbed the back of his head with his left hand as he gave her a nervous response. "Oh a not at all Sakura-chan...Hehe...it's just that I only have one bed and I don't think you'd be comfortable.."

Sakura just laughed as she poked the side of his head. "Well then I guess you just have to sleep on the couch then huh?" Naruto gave her dumbfounded look which cause the medic-nin to giggle. "I'm just kidding Naruto. We can share the same bed. But beware...if you try anything funny at all...your going to really regret it!"

Naruto just shook his head and stretched out his arms before he rested them in his lap. He looked out the window and saw the sun finally setting and casting a dark orange aura over the land. The dark orange reminded of what Konoha had looked like in his dream, and how the entire village was nearly eradicated all by his doing.

He looked at Sakura and saw her looking out the window just as he was. She had a dazzled look on her face as she watched the sunset. She had a smile on her face as she continued to look outside. "It's really amazing isn't it Naruto?"

Naruto heard her soft words and felt a whirlwind of emotions going through him. He wasn't sure what was going on through his head. Different thoughts kept coming in left and right. He didn't know what to do. He needed something. Something to release this tension.

He looked at Sakura again and saw her still staring out the window. Her body appeared to be radiating and looked to have a orange glow. Naruto then had an image of his dream and remembered his incounter with her. He remembered saying those harsh words to her. He remembered seeing her in that horrible condition. He remembered being on the point of actually killing her. How he could ever do such a thing was baffling.

Before he even realized what he was doing he quickly grabbed Sakura and brought her in for a tight hug. Sakura was taken back by this sudden initiation and felt her body being squeezed tight. She was surprised by Naruto's strong grip and how he wouldn't relinquish her. "Naruto what's wrong?"

Naruto still didn't let go as he held her close to him. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan...I really am..." Sakura was just wondering what he was talking about. She didn't know what he meant by his words but she embraced him in the hug anyways. Naruto held her close to him and felt her warmth around him. He didn't want this feeling to disappear. It was the only thing that could keep his mind clear. _It's just a dream...just some stupid dream...It will go away..._

* * *

_Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. _

* * *

**Kunrin no Houka **- Reign of Fire (mine!) 

**Author's Note:** Damn this has been my longest chapter so far! I'm such a nice author aren't I? Oh and just so you guys know I do have a full outline for this story and if you are wondering about certain perspectives, all I can say is wait till they are written down. Also, some of you might be wondering where are Sakura's parents? Since they don't really go into detail in the manga about them and I don't like giving OC's major roles, let's just pretend they don't exist in this story. Thanks for reading this chapter and reviews are always good to see!

* * *


	15. When the Heavens Cry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...but I will once my plans for world domination are complete!**

**Author's Note:** Just so I don't get accused of plagiarizing, some quotes in the beginning were used from Ch. 374. More of the plot is revealed in this chapter.

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

* * *

**Ch. 15: When the Heavens Cry**

It was a clear night and the full moon illuminated the land with it's white aura. Four figures in black cloaks and red clouds patterned on them stood underneath a giant metallic structure in the middle of the steel city. The person with the golden mask looked at the man with red eyes. "What were the results of your mission Itachi?

Itachi maintained his normal demeanor as he answered. "As I approached Konoha I came upon Orochimaru. He was weak and low on chakra so he was easily susceptible to my genjutsu. I gave him some of my chakra and used him as a test subject against Naruto-kun"

The orange haired shinobi listened attentively as the Uchiha spoke. "And just how strong has he become?" Itachi turned his head to look at his superior. "He has indeed come quite far, and he has gained some amazing strength. His chakra is comparable to that of the Kyuubi no Yoko with it's power and furiousness. He was able to eventually defeat Orochimaru, despite the **Edo Tensei** being in use"

The orange haired shinobi simply nodded before he asked another question. "And what about Kisame? Where is he?" Itachi gave him a look that somewhat resembled a smile. "The **Edo Tensei** requires a living human sacrifice in order to be activated. Kisame served his purpose for the mission"

No one in the group reacted to this news. The man with the golden mask was the next one to ask a question. "And this chakra of the jinchuurki. What kind of feeling did you get from it? Did it remind you of the Kyuubi no Yoko at it's full strength?"

Itachi had a very serious expression on his face before he answered. "I have to admit, that I've never felt something like that before. It gave me a weird sensation. It felt neither good nor evil. It was confusing and I could not correctly read it. It definitely is something to be feared"

Since he had his mask on, no one could tell that he had actually raised his eyebrow at the moment. Itachi was one of the strongest members in the organization as well as the most confident. For him to admit that this new chakra was to be feared, was not something you heard regularly.

The masked man looked at the person with many piercings on his face. "All this just reiterates is the fact that you must be the one to capture him. Your power is rivaled by no one, including the Kyuubi jinchuurki. Do to him, what you did to Hanzou"

He then turned to the blue haired woman with the paper origami flower in her hair. "Konan, I have decided to change your mission. You are no longer to pursue the capture of Sasuke Uchiha. I will leave that up to Itachi. I want you to now help Pein in his mission"

Konan simply gave him a nod as she turned to look at her long time friend. "Is that fine by you?" she asked. Pein looked at her for a few seconds with a blank expression before turning and walking away from everyone, saying not a word. Konan then looked at the two other people who didn't seem bothered. She quickly gave them a bow before leaving and following Pein.

Once both members were gone, the golden mask shinobi looked at Itachi before he spoke. "You understand what I want you to do with Sasuke right? His eyes have the greatest potential of any Uchiha I have seen. Test his eyesight and see if he has really progressed as far as Konan has reported. Bring him back if he has lived up to his proclaim"

Itachi had his usual stoic face and just gave a nod. "Do you believe that time has finally come then?" He was answered with laugh that would have sent chills down any other persons spine. "As long as he has trained with the hatred that you created in his heart with the murder of the clan, I see no reason why he shouldn't be ready. With the combination of all the Bijuu, added with the Kyuubi no Yoko, the sharingan's true power will be activated!"

Itachi gave another nod. "I shall do as you say and test his abilities. I will bring him back for you if he passes" and with that he left as well. But unknown to the masked man, was that he had smirk on his face as he walked away. _My eyes have suffered a great deal. However, it shall all be worth it once the sharingan's true power is mine..._

* * *

Below the city in a hidden chamber were six metal containers that held 5 bodies of a certain Akatsuki member. In the entrance of the room stood the Akatsuki leader as he simply scanned the room. His face showed no expression and his eyes were purple and cold. He felt a presence come from behind him and stand next to his left. 

He turned his head and saw Konan standing next to him with her hands held together and hidden in the sleeves of her cloak. She also had an expressionless face as she looked ahead and stared at the white wall in the back of the room. There was a quiet silence in the room for a couple of minutes as the couple just stood there. Konan was the first to break the silence. "How do you feel about his plans?"

Pein didn't break his stance as he responded to her. "I would expect nothing less from an Uchiha. They can never be trusted and just seek to fulfill their own selfish goals. I will not let Madara interfere in my world ideal" Konan smiled as she heard his words. "So you still plan to go through with what you promised when we were younger?"

Pein closed his eyes and bent his head down. "I'm going to put an end to this pathetic world and it's endless wars. It will be an act of god. With the tailed beasts I will create a new forbidden jutsu. An attack that will wipe away an entire country in a mere second. I will start the war to end all wars. The five main powers of the world will bow down before god. I will bring peace to everyone by teaching them what true pain is like"

Konan kept smiling as she heard her long time friends little speech. "So how exactly will you accomplish all of this? And what will you do about Madara?"

Pein opened his eyes and looked at each of the metal containers. "I will take out every Kage of the five main countries. Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and finally Konohagakure. Once they are all taken out, I will capture the Kyuubi jinchuurki and have his demon extracted, so I can complete the jutsu. I need Madara because the Kyuubi is the most powerful Bijuu and it's extraction is the most difficult. Madara was the one who summoned it in the first place, so he will be able to extract it with great ease. But once I have all the Bijuu, his existence shall be done with.."

Konan just nodded as she pulled apart her sleeves and held a paper sphere in her hands. It resembled the earth and had a small outline of all the countries on it. She looked at it carefully and twirled it in her hands. Pein turned his head to the left and examined it as well. Konan stopped twirling the sphere and just stared at it. "It's really delicate isn't it? Will you be able to save it?"

She then turned to look at him and stared directly into his purple eyes. They were blank and expressionless and she couldn't read what emotions he must have been having. "Pain will quicken the world's growth as it did mine. Our world is still in it's infancy. But the hand of god has come to guide it down the path of maturity. I am god. I will bring peace to this world..."

* * *

"**Chidori!**" 

"**Rasengan!**"

Both attacks crashed into one another and created an explosion of yellow and purple energy. Debris scattered everywhere and created a cloud of dust that spread far wide. Once it had all settled away, two figures were seen lying on the ground next to one another.

They were both covered in dirt, blood, and sweat. They were breathing hard and gasping for air. Naruto and Sasuke had been training together for the last eight hours straight. The two friends did this everyday ever since Naruto was released from the hospital a few weeks ago. They had both greatly improved their skills and helped each other succeed in working on their weaknesses.

Naruto sat up and used the back of his left hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He stretched his body and examined it as he saw his chakra heal up all his cuts and wounds. He looked up at the clear sky and the setting sun. He then turned to his left and saw Sasuke still lying on the ground with his eyes closed and panting deeply.

Naruto just laughed as he moved over and punched Sasuke's right shoulder. "Don't tell me the great Uchiha is actually tired? If you can't keep up with me, then I guess I'll just ask fuzzy brows to train with me instead!"

Sasuke opened up his right eye and looked at the grinning blond haired shinobi. He had an annoyed expression on his face as he sat up as well. "You know damn well that Lee would have died if he got hit by one **Rasengan**, yet alone the two you almost landed on me"

Naruto burst out laughing as he cracked his knuckles and examined his cut up palm. "I would have connected perfectly, except you have one fast shushin and that sharingan only adds to your reflexes. Plus, that one fire jutsu you used wiped out all of my clones and almost fried me. Kakashi-sensei sure gave you some good training!"

Sasuke just had a smirk on his face as he deactivated his sharingan and crossed his arms. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei helped me with my **Chidori** manipulations and improving my sharingan, but that fire jutsu was all my work. It took me four years to finally control and master it. You were just lucky that I missed on purpose because I didn't want to send you to the hospital"

Naruto snorted and gave him a dismissive wave with his left hand. "Don't start to get cocky Sasuke. You should consider yourself lucky that I didn't _almost_ form my **Tenrai Sora Rasengan **and send you to another dimension!" Sasuke responded with his trademark 'hn' before speaking. "Too bad it takes you four clones to just create it, and you still can't control it without having it explode in your hand"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he punched the ground with his right hand. He had finally figured out a way to create the new **Rasengan** by having four of his clones each manipulate one element into it. Since he had a natural affinity to wind he himself focused on that, while his clones did the other ones.

After much effort he had finally been able to create the pure white spiral sphere in his hand. It spun at a very rapid rate and pushed away everything near it. It automatically caused his clones to puff away with just the sheer air pressure it spewed.

Naruto had a lot of difficultly sustaining it, but he still managed to control it. The only problem was he could only do so for a short period of time and his opponent could easily take advantage of the fact that he had to quickly make contact before it exploded in his hand and just keep some distance.

Naruto lifted his right arm and examined his palm. He saw a large purple circle which had many smaller ones within it. It happened due to the fact that the** Rasengan** spun so fast, that the chakra literally burned his palm. All the other wounds in his body were healed up because they were caused by other sources. But chakra couldn't heal self induced chakra wounds, so he was burdened with his right hand hurting like hell.

Sasuke finished cleaning the blood off his chokuto and sheathed it back in it's holster. He glanced over at Naruto and saw him just staring at his palm with an aggrieved expression. He gave out a small chuckle before speaking. "What's the matter dobe? Afraid that Sakura is going to get tired of healing you everyday?"

Naruto turned his head to look at the Uchiha. "For your information she has no problem in doing so. I guess your just jealous that you don't have a girl to go home to every night" Sasuke gave him a glare while Naruto just had his foxy grin on. "It's not like it's any importance to me. I don't care much about girls anyway"

As soon as he finished his sentence, Sasuke heard the weirdest noise in his existence and turned to see Naruto slowly moving away from him with a freaked out expression. "Whoa Sasuke, I didn't know you rolled that way...I always thought you liked girls because of the whole "restore my clan" thing, but I can understand if that's not your cup of tea. I just hope that you don't like make a move on me or something..."

Sasuke's right eye started to twitch. "It's not like that you dumbass! It's just that my life has been too messed up for me to open up. I just can't express how I really feel, yet alone understand how others do. I promised myself that I would restore my clans honor that was destroyed on that day. My heart has been filled with hatred ever since that night. I have no room for things such as 'love'"

Naruto stopped backing away and took on a more serious expression. He didn't understand clearly, but he sort of felt that he was referring to the bond that they both formely shared, loneliness. Sasuke had lost everything he ever held close to him in just one night. It was understandable that it would cause him much pain and suffering for the rest of his life. After a couple of minutes of silence, Naruto opened his mouth to speak. "So you just plan to live the rest of your life alone? You don't want to start a family or something?"

The sharingan wielder looked at his friend and saw his concerned expression. "It's too complicated for you to understand Naruto. My clan has had a troubled history. A lot of people just see us for all our glory, but they don't know what went on behind all of that. We've had much suffering, and what Itachi did only added to that. I am the last Uchiha, and I intend to keep it that way" Naruto took in his words and felt a hint of sadness in them. "How come you never accepted Sakura-chan then? I mean she did say that she loved you after all"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and even though he saw that he was trying to hide it, he could tell that Naruto had a curious expression on his face. Sasuke just sighed as he shook his head. "I've always accepted Sakura as a friend and teammate, but nothing more than that. I know that she was willing to share her happiness with me, but I couldn't return it. I am an avenger. I chose that path. The day that my clan died, so did a part of me. Nothing can fill up that hole in my heart, except for knowing that I have brought justice to their deaths"

He took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing. "And either way, Sakura never really 'loved' me. It was just a childish crush. She even told me so" Naruto raised his eyebrow at his remarks. "What? When did this happen?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and saw his eager eyes. He just shook his head as he looked at the ground. "That day when you brought me back and I was in the hospital. She came by and visited me. She told me that she was grateful for what you had done. That you were the one who understood her most. That she knew you had sacrificed everything just for her and she was sick of it" Naruto was a little taken back by his confusing words.

Sasuke just saw his expression and laughed a little. "Not in the bad way dobe. She said that she was sick of never being able to do things on her own and relying on others all the time. That's what her crush was about. She wanted to be with someone strong, so she could gain that strength as well. But she said that after seeing you work so hard all the time, she wanted to become stronger on her own. That's why she became the apprentice of Tsunade-sama, because you inspired her to better herself"

Naruto had an astonished look. "What? Are you serious? How the hell does someone like me inspire people? I'm nothing special"

Sasuke looked at his friend and conjured up the closest thing to a smile. "I guess you don't realize it but you have this power. The power to change people for the better. You made Sakura want to get stronger because she saw all your hard work and determination. And you were the one that saved me from the darkness. You taught me that I could get stronger by strengthening the bonds I had. That true power is gained from hard work and determination. You've done this time and time again with everyone in the village. You are one of it's most important people"

Naruto just looked at Sasuke with a bewildered look. Was this really possible? Did he really have such an influence? Did the village really gain that much from him? Was he really that important? The only thing he could think of as important was him being a jinchuurki.

But then he remembered about his legacy scroll. About how his father wanted him to become a hero. How he wanted him to complete the jutsu and protect the village. How he was the only one that could do so. How it was his responsibility to insure the safety of everyone that was precious to him.

Naruto was broken from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his right shoulder and turned to see Sasuke giving him a serious look. "Naruto, you mean a lot to this village. You can help change everything for the better. But you don't have to do it all by yourself. We can work together and defeat all our enemies"

Naruto thought about his words and remembered what Jiraiya had told him about Akatsuki. How they had been gathering up all the other jinchuurki and using them for their evil plans. How it was just a matter of time before they would eventually come after him.

He didn't think it be any surprise that they would use the power they obtained from the Bijuu to cause trouble for the world. And he could only imagine what would happen if they got to him and tried to extract the Kyuubi. The situation was complicated because he had absorbed all of it's chakra and now it was fused with his.

It had been over five years since he had done so, and he felt more powerful than ever before. But if they did try to extract it, what would happen? He didn't have any source that he could draw it from because it was all in his own reserves now. The only place were he had a large concentration of it was in his new seal.

The seal that kept the balance of good and evil at bay. The seal that kept the lock on hell from opening involuntarily. If that seal broke then those black gates would come out and he wouldn't be able to close them. Did the Akatsuki know about this? Did they know what would happen if they tried to extract the Kyuubi out of Naruto?

The whole damn situation seemed just too complicated for Naruto. The only answer he could think of was to not let the bastards get him. He had to defeat them all. But he knew nothing about them, except for having meeting Itachi and Kisame once when he twelve years old. Everything else was shrouded in mystery.

He had no idea how strong these people were. Even if he had absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra and done all that intense training regiment for over five years, was that really enough? Akatsuki was a group of S ranked criminals, and even though Konoha had been able to defeat some of them, the more powerful ones were still out there.

They definitely had to be a lot stronger to not haven been defeated yet. Sure Naruto was one of the strongest shinobi in the village, but there was one thing he lacked and that was experience. The toughest opponent he had ever faced was Orochimaru. The Akatsuki members had to have fought against tougher opponents and over many years accumulated much battle experience.

And to think what would happen if they succeed in their goals. What would be the ramifications of their actions? What would that mean for him? What would that mean for everyone he cared about? What would that mean for the village? And also what would that mean for the world?

Suddenly Naruto felt some cold drops land on his head. He immediately looked up to see that the once clear sky was now filled with black clouds which slowly trickled rain drops. He looked over at Sasuke who also had a confused face. "That's strange. I didn't see any clouds this whole day and now they've come out of no where. We better leave before it starts to rain hard"

Naruto nodded his head and got up off the ground. He stretched his body for a few seconds and carefully held his right palm which was still tender. The weather had changed drastically and the drizzling turned into light rain very quickly. Both teammates said their goodbyes and rushed to their respective abodes in order to avoid getting soaked.

* * *

Naruto arrived at his apartment after a few minutes. The weather drastically changed and now a storm had started. It normally would have taken Naruto a lot longer to reach his home from the training grounds, but he concentrated some charka onto his feet to give himself an added boost of speed that he needed to get their quicker. 

He searched his pockets for his keys, but found that there was a hole in his pocket due to his intense training that caused his attire to be torn. He cursed his luck because it was the third time in a row that he had done so, but since it was night time Sakura had most likely returned from her training and hospital duties.

He loudly knocked on the door with his left hand and awaited her to open it. He waited for a few seconds until he heard some soft footsteps and watched as the door opened and Sakura appeared before him.

She was dressed in her normal pink pajamas and had on those girly little pink bunny slippers she always wore around the house. Sakura looked at Naruto and laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised to see you like this, and without your keys again? Your lucky I don't have to do night shifts at the hospital"

She then stepped out of the way and let him enter into the apartment. As he came into the house Sakura took a better look at his condition. His body was in it's normal state and the only noticeable thing was his torn clothes that were drenched. She looked at his right hand which was still damaged.

Naruto saw Sakura's concerned expression and gave her his classic foxy grin. "I'm going to go take a shower and get cleaned up. Do you mind healing my hand after I am done?" Sakura gave out a small laugh as she looked at the blond haired shinobi. "Of course I wouldn't mind Naruto. I mean it's basically a typical routine now"

Naruto just nodded his head and headed off in the direction of his bathroom. Or what formerly used to be his bathroom until a certain pink haired girl moved in. He had to admit that it was a lot cleaner than it used to be, but it was a lot more feminine as well.

He took off his clothes and pushed aside the white shower curtain which had red flowers patterned on it, and turned the faucets to produce some warm water which felt nice on his cold skin. He examined the various accessories that hung in the basket on the shower head.

His usual pair of shampoo and body wash were now surrounded with three different shampoos, a conditioner, two different colored soaps, three razors, a bottle of body wash, a bottle of face wash, two wash cloth, and a scrubbing utensil.

Naruto just shook his head as he saw the multitude of cleaning supplies. He would never understand why girls needed all that stuff just for a simple shower. He grabbed his own cloth and squeezed some of his body wash into it and began to clean his body.

He used his left hand to wipe his entire body while he kept his right arm away from the water in order to avoid the painful stinging that would hit his sensitive hand. He lathered up his entire body and felt much better as he wiped off all the dirt and debris that clung to it.

Once he was done with that, he put back his cloth and grabbed his shampoo and squeezed a small amount of blue liquid into his left hand and washed his hair. He stood under the warm shower for about five minutes and closed his eyes as he took in whiffs of the steamy air that smelt simply refreshing.

Once he felt throughly satisfied, he turned off the shower and stepped out. He went over to the small closet and pulled out a white towel and rubbed himself off. Once he was dry, he put the towel back, and took out his usual blue pajamas and blue hat.

Yes, he still wore the same kind of pajamas from when he was twelve years old. They were really comfortable and he liked how the soft material felt on his skin. He stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the living room.

Sakura was already there sitting on the right side of the couch awaiting for him to sit next to her. Naruto took a seat and stretched out his arm and placed it in her lap. Sakura held Naruto's wrist with her left hand and examined his palm. She saw the usual dark purple circles all on top of it and saw that his skin was still bloody and torn up. She frowned at the site, but had to admit that it had gotten better over the weeks.

Usually she would have to work on Naruto's entire arm because he couldn't properly form the new** Rasengan **and his chakra in his right arm would end up firing back and damaging all his tenketsu points. But since he had now actually been able to form it and the only problem lied in his controlling abilities, the only damage he sustained was charka burns.

Sakura put her right hand on top of his palm and began to concentrate chakra into it. Before not too long her hand glowed green and her **Shousen no Jutsu **was activated. She kept her hand over his and watched as the purple circles quickly began to disappear and his former dead skin was replaced with a clean new one.

After a few minutes, the healing was complete and Sakura released her jutsu. She removed her hands off of his to let him move his arm. Naruto lifted up his right arm and slowly stretched his fingers and just as usual he felt it stronger than before. "Does it feel better now?" asked Sakura.

Naruto looked at Sakura and gave her is infamous grin. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Amazing as always Sakura-chan. I wouldn't expect anything less from the greatest medic-nin in all of Konoha!"

Sakura gave out a few giggles as she scooted over and sat next to him. Naruto leaned back against the couch and wrapped his now healed right arm around her shoulders. "I don't know about greatest, but I do try my best. How did your training go with Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

Naruto just sighed as he relaxed his body. "Just like it always does with each one of us trying to prove who's the strongest. Though I did go easy on him, because I didn't want to hurt him too bad" Naruto heard the pink haired girl laugh as she rested her head on his right shoulder. "Can't say I am surprised. I wouldn't expect anything less from the _great_ Naruto-dono"

The blond haired shinobi cringed as he heard her call him that. Sakura always added that suffix when he started boasting about his strength. Sure he liked the respect that was given to him when his summons called him that, but when Sakura said it, she was just poking fun at him showing off.

But who could blame him? He worked his ass off to obtain that power and respect, so why wasn't he allowed to brag about it on occasions? "Sakura-chan, your not funny when you say that. You just take out the whole importance of the meaning when you use it" Sakura just laughed again as she snuggled closer to him. "Well I can't resist saying it. I was only trying to boost up your ego to a higher level. I thought you'd appreciate it"

Naruto shook his head and looked out the window and saw the heavy raining pouring down. He could hear the rumbling thunder in the distance and heard lightening crack on different occasions. It was all so strange how the weather quickly changed all of a sudden.

Regardless of that fact he still enjoyed the atmosphere and it's calm and relaxing nature. Even though it wasn't really that cold inside, he still liked the close embrace that he and Sakura were sharing. He was really grateful for having her around.

She managed to take care of the many duties that he loathed doing. His apartment was actually clean for the first time in years. Instead of eating instant ramen everyday, Sakura actually managed to make some ramen herself, and much to Naruto's surprise (though he would never say that) it actually tasted pretty good. She also even helped out with his laundry (underwear excluded of course). He never understood how she was able to do all of this. She was really good at multitasking, and obsessively compulsive when it came to cleanliness.

But most of all he was grateful for her always being their to heal him. If it wasn't for her, his right arm would have been completely severed a long time ago. She had some incredible medical skills on top of that super strength. He thought back to what Sasuke told him earlier, and how he was the one to inspire her to improve herself.

He still laughed at the idea that it was really because of him. He glanced over to look at Sakura, who was staring out the window and watching the rain pour down. "Hey Sakura-chan, I told you about my day, how did yours go?" he asked.

Sakura took a deep breath before speaking. "Same as always. Trained for a few hours in the morning before I went over to the hospital. Just a typical non busy day with the usual people coming in. I healed up Lee, Neji, and Hinata like I usually do"

Naruto raised his left eye brow at her words. "Wait a second. I can understand fuzzy brows coming in because he's a training freak, but why were Neji and Hinata there? And what do you mean by you _usually _heal them?" Sakura lifted her head up and looked at him. "Well they used to come in on occasion, but ever since you returned they started coming in a lot more. Neji and Hinata train a lot together, and they are always bruised up pretty badly"

Naruto was even more confused. From what he remembered Neji hated Hinata because she was from the main branch family, and he remembered their fight in the Chuunin exams all those years back. About how he took out his anger on the main family by going all out on here. "Wait Sakura-chan, I don't understand...How are they training together? Why are they training together? And why are they always hurt so badly?"

Sakura saw his curious expression as to what he had missed over the years. She smiled before answering him. "You know I asked them that myself. And you know what they said?" Naruto nodded his head telling her to continue. "Neji told me that it was because of your guys fight at the Chuunin exams, that his eyes were opened. Your speech about being able to change your fate and destiny gave him a new perspective. It made him want to change himself and become stronger so he could fight against what he believed was wrong"

Naruto was a little surprised to hear that he had such an impact on Neji. "What Sakura-chan? I was the one to make him change?" he asked. Sakura's smile got bigger as she nodded her head. "He's not the only one who wanted to change because of you. Hinata said it was because of seeing you never give up, that she too wanted to get stronger and work hard. That's why they are always so hurt when they come in. Because Hinata refuses to stop training until she's reached her limit"

Naruto was just getting more shocked by the minute. First Sasuke told him that it was because of him that Sakura wanted to improve herself, and that he was also the one who saved Sasuke from the darkness. Now Sakura was telling him that he was also responsible for both Neji and Hinata settling their differences and working together to get stronger.

He could never imagine that he had such an impact on so many people. Was he really that important? Did this village really benefit so much from him. He suddenly remembered that dream he had awhile back. He didn't have anything related to it every since his stay in the hospital, but it was still clear in his mind.

How he was the one that had destroyed all of Konoha. How he was the one responsible for the deaths of all his friends and loved ones. How he was actually willing to kill the girl that sat next to him. How could he ever think of doing such a thing? And why was it still so vivid in his head that he could remember it perfectly?

It was becoming too complicated now. He had different thoughts and emotions going on. It was like two forces in his mind trying to battle it out. They kept pushing at one another and it just caused him to get more confused.

He looked at Sakura who was still looking at him with an admirable smile. "You mean a lot to the people of this village Naruto. We all look towards you for inspiration. Your words as well as your actions are so moving. And I'm glad that I can be with someone as great as you...Naruto-dono"

When Sakura said it this time, Naruto could feel her words were actually sincere. She wasn't joking around like she usually did. Though he disliked the fact of people he held close to him using such formalities, he understood that she was trying to show how much he meant to her.

He had to get his priorities straight. He had to clear his head. Even though his feelings of protecting the village and his precious people were getting strong, their was still that doubt in the back of his head poking out. But he felt like he could repress those thoughts by staying close to those who he cared most about. He turned his head to look outside at the window. It was still raining hard and he felt as if it had gotten even more intense then last time. For some reason it gave him a cold feeling. It somehow made him feel uneasy all of a sudden.

He turned back to look at Sakura who was also looking outside as well. She seemed indifferent to it and just calmly looked outside. He was a little surprised by this. He remembered that when he felt uncomfortable at watching the sunset in the hospital, she felt the opposite and was enjoying it. And now when he was having a weird feeling about the rain, she sat their with an amiable expression.

Whenever he felt out of place, she was always there to placate some of these uncertain feelings. Maybe she could help him clear his thoughts. He wasn't ready to tell her or anybody about what was going on yet, but at least he could seek comfort for his own mind sake.

Sakura turned back to look at Naruto and saw him giving her a more than average smile. She was about to ask him why he had on such an interesting expression, but was stopped when he suddenly moved forward and planted a gentle kiss on her lips, and brought her in for a hug. "Thank you for everything you said. Thanks a lot Sakura-chan. I really feel a lot better now" and the rain continued to pour down outside.

* * *

**Edo Tensei - **Resurrection to the Impure World (original) 

**Chidori -** Thousand Birds (original)

**Rasengan** - Spiral Sphere (original)

**Tenrai Sora Rasengan** - Divine Sky Spiral Sphere (mine!)

**Shousen no Jutsu -** Mystical Palm Technique (original)

**Author's Note:** Just to let you know, the ending does not diverge from the summary. Also, since I don't get paid for writing this story, reviews are the next best thing!


	16. When Everything Starts to Fall Apart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...or is it still called Naruto? I heard the manga was being renamed to SHARINGAN! The Misadventures of the Uchiha clan! **

**Author's Note:** First off, I apologize for taking such a long time to update. School has been a total bitch and the current bad state of the U.S. economy only doubles my work load so I've been really really busy...Anyways, some of you may notice that I changed the summary from the original and the reason behind it was because, after looking at my outline I feel that the new summary would better suit the story. Other than that I just hope you like the latest chapter and the second to last arc of the story!

**"Jutsu"** means Jutsu name

"_**Inner Sakura/Kyuubi**_" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"_Inner Thoughts/Flashback/Alternate Dimension" _means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback or Alternate Dimension when stated

Definitions can be found at the bottom.

* * *

**Ch. 16: When Everything Starts to Fall Apart**

The sound of wood cracking and splintering could be heard loudly as the Godaime slammed her clenched fists onto her desk. The loud sound easily startled the other occupants in the room and caused them to immediately get up.

Shizune got up off her chair from her assistants desk and tightly clenched her jaw from dropping as she had a fearful expression on her face as she saw the angry (more than usual) look on the Hokage's face. Jiraiya, who had previously been napping on the couch, got up off the floor and looked at his former teammate.

Tsunade was just staring at the message that was delivered to her a few minutes earlier. She couldn't believe what was written on it, and it had been her third time reading. There was a prolonged silence in the room and caused an uncomfortable atmosphere for Jiraiya.

He was about to speak up until Tsunade looked up from her desk and pointed at her assistant. "Shizune, I want you to immediately go to the jounin lounge and get Hatake Kakashi. Tell him it's urgent news and top priority. There can be absolutely no delay whatsoever!"

Noting the serious expression on her master's face, Shizune didn't hesitate to quickly leave the room and get the copy ninja. As the sound of the door opening and slamming shut was done, Tsunade leaned back into her chair as she closed her eyes and began to rub her temples vigorously in attempt to stop the impending headache from coming.

Jiraiya being one not to be left out of the loop, as well as the few people to ever bother the Hokage when she was in a bad mood spoke up. "Tsunade, since I am not one to read minds, would you like to enlighten me on what has gotten you so upset?"

Tsunade opened her eyes and looked up at the toad sage. She took a deep sigh before speaking. "It's a message from Sunagakure. The Godaime Kazekage has requested our immediate assistance with double S-ranked priority..."

Jiraiya's eyes opened wide with surprise at the mention of double S-rank. Those type of missions were only administered during war time or a state of emergency. Whatever problem Suna was having must have been a serious one because double S-ranks didn't come cheap and was sure to cost a hefty sum.

"Tsunade, what is the dealing of the message? Why has the Kazekage requested such a high request?" he asked.

Tsunade picked up the paper from her desk and skimmed it over. "The Kazekage has requested us to send as many top shinobi we can no matter the cost. There is a projected assassination attempt on the Kazekage's live as it is raining in Sunagakure today. They have determined it is no coincidence since it doesn't rain there very often, and it wasn't projected to do so at all"

Jiraiya was immediately confused by the information he was given. He wasn't sure what rain had to do with assassination attempts. Tsunade noted his confused expression and took a deep breath before speaking again. "This is going to sound really awkward and confusing so your going to have to bear with me while I explain the situation"

The white haired sannin gave a complacent nod and crossed his arms as he awaited what she had to say. Tsunade sighed before speaking. "Around three weeks ago the Mizukage was found dead in his office. There had been no sign of struggle and the body was found to be severely mutilated"

Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the floor after hearing those words. He was about to say something, but Tsunade put up her left hand signaling him to stop. "Hold on a second, there is more I have to explain"

Jiraiya closed his mouth and nodded as Tsunade continued. "Upon finding the body of the Mizukage, the family was looked for to be notified. Unfortunately, all of the family members were found dead and in no better condition then the Mizukage himself. All of his relatives were slaughtered including every man, woman, and child"

"How could this happen? How is it possible? Who or what could do such a thing!" yelled Jiraiya.

Tsunade shook her head. "There is no known explanation for the Kirigakure situation. All that we know from that is it rained three days before the death of the Mizukage, just as it did for the Raikage"

Jiraiya had a bewildered expression on his face. "What...What happened to the Raikage?"

Tsunade began to rub the bridge of her nose. This wasn't going to get any better. "One week after the death of the Mizukage, the same predicament happened to the Raikage. He to was found dead in his office, as well as his entire family murdered without a shroud of evidence to who did it"

Jiraiya couldn't believe what he was hearing. It had to be not true. He just could not believe it. "Tsunade, how is it that you know what happened in Kirigakure and Kumogakure? We are not a part of their alliance so why would they dispense such top secret information to us?"

"Because Iwagakure told Sunagakure about the entire situation after they were attacked and the Tsuchikage and his entire family were all killed" said Tsunade.

"WHAT!" yelled Jiraiya. "Are you serious? How can three Kages be killed so easily without putting up a fight! Who or _what_ could pull off such an impossible task?"

Jiraiya was clearly upset by this new. It wasn't making any sense and it only got more grim with each revelation. Tsunade sighed before talking. "Jiraiya just relax and let me explain everything without you interrupting me or else we will never get through this"

The toad sage took a deep breath and calmly nodded acknowledging for her to continue. "The Iwagakure situation was different from the others. Since those three villages are in alliance they were dispensing information to one another. Kirigakure and Kumogakure found that ironically it suddenly rained three days before the each Kages death. When it suddenly rained in Iwagakure, their village was put on high security and every available shinobi was used to protect the Tsuchikage and his family"

Tsunade took another deep breath. "Unfortunately, all there efforts proved useless in the end. The Tsuchikage and is family were killed as well as the majority of his security force. The only thing they got out of that situation is they saw a glimpse of who could have been behind it"

"WHO WAS IT!" yelled Jiraiya as he jumped with surprise.

"In the wave of all the destruction, they saw a single figure standing on top it all. A person wearing a black cloak with red clouds patterned on it. A person who could only be a part of..."

"Akatsuki..." finished Jiraiya as he sighed with solemn.

"Yeah..." sighed Tsunade. "It looks like they are on the move again after not much activity over the recent year. They most presumably must have been gathering up all the other jinchuurki. After their organization took some major blows to it's roster, things have been quiet and they've been working in secret eluding much if any notice. However, it looks like they're making some serious moves now all of a sudden"

Jiraiya slammed his hands on the Hokage's desk causing her to immediately be startled. "It just doesn't make any damn sense!" he yelled. "How could _one_ person be able to take out three Kages as well as take on the entire security force of Iwagakure without being noticed? Who could be capable of such a thing? Can you imagine how powerful they must be? And why on earth would you send Naruto straight into the lion's den by putting him on this mission!"

Jiraiya was practically screaming at the Godaime. He was more angry then anything at this point. But Tsunade did have a reason for sending Naruto to help aid Suna. "Jiraiya, please just calm down. I do have a reason for sending Team Seven to help the Kazekage"

The toad sage realizing his sudden outburst calmed himself and relaxed as he looked at his teammate to give him an explanation. "Right now, all the major countries are in much distress since they appear to be the only targets. The Akatsuki have taken out three Kages in less than three weeks. Sunagakure is their next target going upon the signs, meaning after that they only have one target left. And that is me..."

Jiraiya cupped his left hand over his mouth. He was about to say something but Tsunade cut him off. "All ANBU will be notified and put on high alert. Any ninjas that are not on missions will also be notified. However, I have decided to put Naruto and Team Seven on this mission for mainly two reasons"

Tsunade sighed before speaking again. "One, he is indeed one of the strongest shinobi this village has to offer. Added that with the support of his teammates as well as Kakashi, they can be the most effective in this mission. The second being that I'm confident that he is the only one that can take on this Akatsuki figure. We can no longer keep babying Naruto. He has to grow up and face this challenge right in the face. It's either kill or be killed. No more hiding. No more running. It's about time we stop Akatsuki in their tracks"

Jiraiya took a deep breath and looked at Tsunade. She had a somewhat blank expression as she was staring aimlessly past him. He knew this was a hard decision for her to make. This one choice of hers could have many different implications and consequences that could go many ways.

"You do realize what can happen on this mission if the Akatsuki member sees Naruto there? They will definitely try to capture him and succeed in their plans. Are you confident in Naruto being able to complete this mission?"

Tsunade looked at her teammate and gave him a smile. "I'm very confident in our favorite blonde haired ninja. I'm so confident that I bet my life on it. And we all know how good my luck is" she finished with a grin.

Jiraiya had a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Heh, I guess we can't beat those odds especially with your luck now can we? I just hope that Kakashi will be able to do his part and make sure that the mission is a success"

"Well he sure won't be one to get the glory all for himself! I'm definitely not going to lose to my eternal rival in our ever lasting battle for supremacy!"

Jiraiya quickly turned around to the back of the room to see where he voice was coming from and stepped backwards as the door flew open and in came a green blur that pounced into the room and stood right in front of the Hokages desk.

"Yosh! I am here to ask that my team also be included in with Kakashis! I cannot allow for such a travesty to occur in which his team out does mine! " yelled the green spandex wearing shinobi known as Maito Gai.

Tsunade wasn't pleased by this sudden unexpected entry and a few veins popped on her temple showcasing her anger.

Walking into the room was Shizune with a nervous expression as she rubbed the back of her head, along with Kakashi who had his usual orange book in his right hand who simply sighed at the site of his rival. "Gai, let's try and keep the enthusiasm to a minimum right now. Also, I think you should stop standing on top of Jiraiya-sama"

The taijutsu specialist had a shocked look on his face as he looked down and realized he was standing on top of the white haired sannin. He quickly hopped off before the mass below him stood up and brushed off his clothes.

Gai quickly bowed in front of toad sage. "My deepest apologies Jiraiya-sama! I was not aware of your position and forgive me for causing you any harm"

Jiraiya was about to give him a good piece of his mind, but stopped when Tsunade cleared her throat motioning for everyone to stop before she had to enforce some order. Everyone in the room took note not to displease the Hokage and stood in front of her desk awaiting what she had to say.

Tsunade looked at new incomers. "So how much did you hear and how much do you know?"

Kakashi gave a casual sigh before speaking. "We just came in about a minute ago and heard you talking about a bet or something. Gai heard my name from your office and made a dash for it and interrupted your conversation"

The busy browed man gave a nervous laugh as he saw the displeased look on the Hokage's face. "My sincerest apologizes Hokage-sama! I just feel that Kakashi shouldn't go about this mission on his own considering the circumstances. I feel that my squad would be be best to go on this mission and guarantee success!"

Tsunade looked at Shizune for an explanation as to why she couldn't stop from bringing Gai, but her assistant was doing her best to avoid eye contact and lightly sweating. Tsunade then turned to Jiraiya who simply shrugged his shoulders implementing that he neither knew nor cared.

She then turned back to look at Gai who was giving her his trade mark smile. "Fine, you can help support Kakashi and his team to Sunagakure with your own squad" said Tsunade.

"YES! Thank you very much Hokage-sama! I'll make sure that we complete this mission without failure. I can't have my rival out doing me by going on this top secret mission all alone now can I?" Gai said he lightly elbowed Kakashi in the ribs, who sighed and kept his lazy demeanor.

Tsunade shook her head before looking at the three new comers. "I want you to take note that this is a double S-ranked mission meaning chance of survival is minimum at best. You are basically going on a suicide mission. Before I dispense the contest of the mission you must agree to accept without any doubt"

She looked at the two jounin senseis for there answer. They both had serious expressions on their faces and simply nodded. Tsunade was about to say something, but she was interrupted by Shizune. "Wait a second Tsunade-sama. Do you want me to leave the room?"

Tsunade just shook her head. "No, you can stay as well. I trust you enough to take in this information" Shizune just gave a complacent nod and awaited what her shishou had to say.

Tsunade took a deep breath before speaking. "Alright then, I will brief you on the situation and your mission"

After Tsunade had gone through all the past events that had occurred throughout the last three weeks and given every known detail she was left with shocked, confused, and surprised faces. There was a quiet silence in the room for a couple of minutes until Kakashi broke it. "So those days when it rained here in Konoha were linked to the assassination of the three Kages as well?"

Tsunade simply nodded her head. "It's strange but that's what seems to be the trend. It's as if the rain is a bad omen of things to come"

"And what about your safety Tsunade-sama? Have you prepared any security measures for yourself?" asked Gai.

"All ANBU will be informed, as well as any available shinobi. I'm going to have a meeting with the council so we can talk about how to resolved this issue. However, you two can help make sure that it doesn't have to come to that. Suna has prepared extensively for this situation and everything has been on protecting their Kazekage"

Tsunade paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "A lot is riding on this mission. You two must be able to stop the Akatsuki from doing any further damage, as well as find out any information that you can. You must do everything you can to stop this crisis from getting any worse. If Suna is lost, only chaos will be the result as the world will be in turmoil due to lack of power balance, and a far worse faith awaits us"

"What do you mean Tsunade-sama?" asked Shizune. "What could happen?"

This time it was Jiraiya who answered. "With a lack of proper leadership, all of the alliances that have prevented wars from starting will be broken because the link of Kages is broken. Seeing the five strongest countries lose their leadership will cause other countries to rise up and try to seek dominance. This means fighting will ensue creating wars all around the world. Earth will become a battlefield like it was so many years ago"

Shizune gasped out loud while the looks on Kakashi's and Gai's face got more grim. This was really sounding out to be for the worst. They had all remembered the Third Great Ninja War that had gone on for many years between the numerous countries and villages. It was one of the darkest times in the worlds history. Numerous shinobi were killed, and over thousands of people were slaughtered as countries battled for dominance.

After much fighting and bloodshed, the five most powerful villages had formed an alliance with one another to stop fighting and come to a treaty in which they all instilled neutrality amongst one another. This way they prevented any further conflicts turning violent, and used more diplomatic measures to reach agreement. Though this did bring eventual peace, there were still some tensions between the villages.

Iwagakure still held a grudge against Konohagakure for what the Yondaime Hokage had done to their forces during the last war and wiping out numerous of their shinobi. Kumogakure were still angry at the fact that Hiashi Hyuuga wasn't killed for his murder of their shinobi leader that tried to kidnap Hinata and instead his twin brother was sacrificed. They weren't ones that enjoyed being tricked. Kirigakure still did have a stronger connection to Konoha then their counterparts, but were more closely in alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure because they had strong trade connections.

Konoha's only trustworthy ally was Sunagakure, since the two villages strengthened their ties greatly during the Gaara retrieval mission. And now Konoha was going to do it's best to make sure it's closest ally didn't suffer a huge blow. Because if Suna was to fall, then Konoha was next, meaning they were the last stand. If word got out that all the Kages of the five major villages were dead, then there would only be chaos afoot.

"Tsunade-sama, you said that the ones suspected to be behind this are the Akatsuki?" Tsunade nodded. "Then is it really wise to send Naruto along? He is a jinchuuriki after all" said Kakashi.

"I've already said this to Jiraiya, and I'm one hundred percent confident that Naruto should go along. He's well qualified for this mission and we can not keep holding him back like he is still a baby"

Tsunade paused for a few seconds before speaking. "And either way, it's not like we would be able to hold him back. This is just the kind of mission that the brat has been nagging me to put him on, and I think this should finally shut him up" she finished with a smirk.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and nodded. "Alright then its settled. The trip to Suna should take around two days. If we leave right now, we can be there just in time before the suspected attack should happen"

"Ha! It would take two days if we _walked_ to Suna. I bet we could make it there in just a little over a day if we went full speed!" yelled Gai.

Kakashi cupped his left ear to block out the yelling and look at his fellow jounin. "Gai, we will make sure to get there as soon as possible, but we must still be reasonable. I'll gather my squad from their training grounds, and meet your team at the front gates"

And with those final words Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Gai bowed down and gave another apology to Tsunade and Jiraiya for his earlier intrusion and dashed out of the room going on about beating Kakashi's squad to the front gates.

Tsunade looked at her assistant. "Shizune, I need you to get the two council members to meet me so we can discuss this new situation in more detail"

Shizune nodded and left the room to obtain the two council members. Tsunade sighed and leaned back into her chair ass she closed her eyes. She had a lot on her mind and the stress was getting to her. She quickly opened them when she heard a thud on her desk and a popping sound and looked to see Jiraiya pouring some sake into two white cups.

He had a grin on his face as he finished filling the cups and placing the white bottle on the side. "Those old geezers are going to take a while. Might as well enjoy the wait with some good ol sake right?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Tsunade yelled as she picked up the bottle and gulped it down as Jiraiya himself laughed and picked up his cup as well.

* * *

The two Hyuuga were clashing with one another. Neji and Hinata were practicing their Gentle Fist style against one another as they usually did. They had just stated their training a little over half an hour ago and were just warming up for their usual everyday workouts.

Rock Lee was almost reaching his nine thousandth push up while Tenten sat cross legged on his back and was cleaning the blood off her favorite kunai set.

It was just another typical day with Team Gai doing doing their usual training. The area was calm and remained unchanged for the most part until a sudden stirring could be heard and the training ninja stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the noise.

Coming in from the left side of the field was their green plaid jounin sensei, who was running at top speed and bringing a dust cloud behind him.Before they even knew it, the younger shinobi were hit by the dust cloud and started coughing hardly as their sensei stood in front of them.

Gai quickly brushed off his jumpsuit and looked at his former students. "I see you all are working hard as usual. I wouldn't expect anything less from my stupendous students!" he said with a thumbs up and his classic smile.

After they were done coughing their lungs out, Tenten, Neji, and Hinata were giving him an angry glare, while Lee's expression turned into a huge smile. "Gai-sensei, what are you doing here on this most youthful day? Have you come to put as through another one of your special training sessions?"

Everyone else sweat dropped at the mention of Gai's "special" training sessions. If they had to do one of those, that definitely meant a trip to the Konoha hospital because Gai pushed them to the brink of death (at least that's how they felt about it). The only one that manged to stay happy during the whole thing was Lee, and that was because his competitive nature pushed him to do so.

Gai just laughed before speaking. "I'm enthralled by your enthusiasm Lee, but no I haven't come for that" the rest of his fellow friends inwardly sighed with relief, while Lee had a disappointed look on his face. "However, I've come to take you on a mission which will be far more intense. A double S-ranked mission to Sunagakure"

All the younger shinobi gasped at the mention of double S-ranked. This was a serious proposition and wasn't a standard mission that was handed out.

"Gai-sensei, are you sure we are qualified to go on this mission?" asked Tenten.

Gai just gave a smile and nodded. "I'm fully confident in all of your abilities to take you on this mission. We have worked together as a team for many years, and with all of us on this mission, I'm sure we will succeed easily!"

"When are we to leave for the mission sensei?" asked Neji.

"We must leave right away and go to the front gates before Kakashi's team arrives there first. We will be working with them on this mission" said Gai.

Neji nodded and turned his attention to his cousin. "Forgive me Hinata-sama, but I must cut our training session short. I hope to make it up to you as soon as I return"

Hinata frowned at his words. "There is no need for you to apologize Neji-niisan. You must insure your safety on the mission rather than worry about me. I hope you succeed and make it back safely" she finished with a smile.

Neji gave the closet thing to a smile he could muster and bowed before her. "Thank you Hinata-sama. You take care of yourself as well"

Gai nodded and turned towards the exit of the training grounds. "All right then, we are all set and ready to go! Let's make it there before Kakashi's team, or else we will go through one my _super_ special training sessions!"

And with that he burst off with a dash and made his way for the gates. Lee left a second after him and did his best to catch up, while Neji and Tenten inwardly groaned and tried to meet up with their enthusiastic sensei and teammate.

Hinata just shook her head as she gave out a small laugh and left to go back to the Hyuuga compound to notify her father of the situation.

* * *

Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead with her left hand and sat on the ground as she tried to catch her breath from her exhausting workout. She looked onto the opposite side of the training field and looked on as her two teammates were still going at it.

Naruto threw a right hook at Sasuke's face, but missed as the Uchiha ducked down and swiped Naruto off his feet with a low swivel kick.

Naruto landed on his back with a thud and rapidly opened his eyes and saw a flash of silver coming at him. He quickly twisted his neck to the right and barely avoided getting hit by Sasuke's chokuto, which dug deep down into the ground.

Using the heels of his feet, he pushed hard against the ground and black flipped up off the ground.

"Too slow"

Naruto felt the blade go through his chest and he gave out a grunt as it pushed throw and blood seeped out his mouth. Sasuke pushed in deeper till the blade disappeared and only the hilt could be seen.

"If I didn't have my Sharingan on, I would have missed that hand seal you made earlier. You've gotten a lost faster dobe"

The blonde haired shinobi had a grin on his face as it puffed away in a cloud of smoke.

Sasuke quickly spun around and held his blade up and blocked Naruto's oncoming attack as the two blades clashed and chakra dispersed between them.

Sakura witnessed the high speed battle happening before her eyes. Though she could barely follow her teammates movements, she deduced that Naruto had a made a kage bunshin right before he jumped off the ground and did a kawamari with it, avoiding Sasuke's rapid attack.

Even though this was just a sparring match, it was as if both ninjas were going for the killing blow at any chance they got, and she couldn't help but feel worried whenever they fought against one another.

Sasuke blocked Naruto's on coming blade and pushed it back as he turned his torso to the left and brought his blade under his left arm and stabbed the Naurto's clone coming from behind with a **Rasengan** aimed at his back.

He then turned his attention to the front and saw the original Naruto back up and place his hilt back on his belt. He then suddenly saw him make a tiger seal and inwardly cursed as he knew what was going to happen soon, and started making his own hand signs. 

_Damn it Naruto, why do you always do this when you know you can't beat me! It's pointless and no amount of effort is going to change that!_

Naruto finished his hand seals and took a deep breath he brought his left hand to his mouth and blew the built up chakra in his abdomen between the space of his thumb and index finger. 

Sasuke saw the huge flames quickly approaching him, and he rapidly finished his seals and mimicked Naruto's earlier movements. Naruto's fireball almost engulfed Sasuke, but the Uchiha forced it back with his own and pushed it away. 

Sakura shielded her eyes with her right hand and tried to block out the bright glare as she tried her best to look on through the small gaps between her fingers. Naruto always tried to beat Sasuke when it came to katon jutsus, but he could never win because Sasuke was naturally good at them since he had practiced them ever since he was young. 

Sasuke's face instantly started to sweat as he continually pushed chakra out his mouth. The two massive flame entities pushed against one another into an even stalemate.

Naruto tried to keep up, but he couldn't continue breathing out much longer. Sakura watched as Naruto's side started to fade out and Sasuke's flames over took his easily. Sasuke had almost completely taken over, as his flames engulfed Naruto's and left it to almost nothing.

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she saw the engrossing flames take away any sign of Naruto. 

Sasuke had pushed to a point where he was sure that Naruto couldn't fight back. He was about to stop, until suddenly he heard a wising sound and his eyes opened wide in shock as he saw his huge fireball start to quickly diminish. 

Sakura stood up off the ground and got as close as possible as she tried to see what was suddenly happening. 

Sasuke continued to look on and force more chakra into his flames, but it was all hopeless as his fireball continued to be taken in by an unknown source. It was getting worse as now he felt his entire body being dragged in. He was stuck in the same position and his body couldn't move.

It was as if the space around him was completely compressed and his sense weren't responding. He couldn't even shift his eyes and could only look forward in horror as he saw a small pure white sphere coming directly at him. 

_What the hell? That's Naruto's special jutsu that can throw things into an another dimension! What does he think he's doing? If he hits me with that thing, then who knows where I'll be! He can't be serious!_

But alas he continued to be dragged in and he couldn't escape as his body was stuck and the last of his flames had been completely sucked in. He looked at Naruto's face and saw a strange and angry expression. It was a look he'd never seen before on him and it got darker as the closer he came. He pushed every fiber and strand in his body, yet it was pointless as he was now only a few feet away.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't know everything about Naruto's jutsu, but she knew it was very dangerous when he did it, being lethal to both the opponent and user. She didn't know what to do. She was too far away to stop them and even then how would she? Her heart kept beating faster by the millisecond, and panic was striking. She had do something, anything, to stop Naruto from striking Sasuke and causing them both to get seriously hurt.

He was getting closer and almost a few inches away. Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat and the only things he could make out was the loud wising sound coming from the **Tenrai Sora Rasengan** in front of him, and a very faint audible sound of what he thought was Sakura yelling.

This was it. It was over. There was no more hope. Sasuke couldn't do anything about it. He was going to be thrown into God knew where, and he couldn't say or do a damn thing about it. He didn't even have enough time to have his life flash before his eyes. 

But that wasn't going to happen because his last bit of hope was answered when he felt the circulation of air around him start to finally loosen up and he felt himself moving his body in what must have been ages. 

His eyes were locked on the white sphere that was now point blank from his chest. He pushed every amount of strength, chakra, and will power he had in his body to get away from it. 

Fortunately for him he wouldn't be struck as he was able to barely catch the hand that grabbed Naruto's right wrist twisting it backwards before launching the whole body as far as possible to the left side of the field. 

The sudden interruption caused a major disruption in the space around him and he felt his body get hit by a huge jolt of sheer air pressure that threw his entire body backwards. He felt as if he was literally falling from the sky as he was rammed hard against the trunk of a tree and every pain receptor in his body responded causing him to scream out loud.

Sakura stood in complete shock as everything happened so fast. She had yelled for Naruto to stop as she ran towards her two teammates, but she felt a sharp pain on her left shoulder that caused her to stop in her tracks and look on as her sensei dashed towards his students and interrupted Naruto's attack, sending the two younger ninjas in opposite directions. 

Kakashi was panting hard as he had sprinted as fast as he could to stop Naruto from striking Sasuke. At first he couldn't believe what would cause him to do such a thing. That jutsu was not supposed to be used on fellow shinobi. What had Naruto been thinking? Was he really willing to hit Sasuke with it? 

Kakashi thought it over in his head a bunch of times, but it call came down to the conclusion that if he hadn't interrupted, Sasuke would indeed be lost to the unknown. 

He looked in the direction of Sasuke and saw the Uchiha slowly trying to get up as he coughed out blood. He then took a glance at Naruto and saw him rolling on the ground clutching his right wrist yelling out in pure agony. 

Kakashi sighed as he lowered his hitai-ate over his left eye deactivating his Sharingan. He had made sure to twist Naruto's wrist to cut off the steady flow of chakra being pumped into his **Tenrai Sora Rasengan **and disable the jutsu. He turned back to look at Sakura who still had a shocked expression on her face as she was switching from looking at both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Sakura, come over here and take a look at Naruto, while I check up on Sasuke. Naruto seems to be in a worse condition and you know more about how to deal with him"

Sakura looked at her sensei and quickly nodded her head as she dashed over to where Naruto was lying while Kakashi walked over to Sasuke, who had slowly gotten up, pushing himself against the tree. 

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" cursed Naruto as he continuously rolled on the ground clutching his right wrist and dwelling in everlasting pain. He couldn't stand it. He just wanted to rip off his right arm completely as it continued to sting over every inch with no end in site. His palm was especially burning with a fury and it was as if it was scorched by the sun itself.

Sakura reached Naruto and stopped right in front of him. He was still twisting around on the ground yelling out numerous curses and obscenities as he clutched his right hand. She was afraid to go any closer and touch him to make sure he was fine. She wanted to check on him, but she was aghast about doing so. 

The only thing she could do was muster out a few words. "Na..Naruto...Are you...alright?"

"Does it look like I am fucking alright!" he yelled causing the kunoichi to suddenly jump. "I'm fucking dieing over her in agony and I don't know how or why this is happening, and you ask me if I'm fucking alright? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

Sakura was really taken back by this sudden outburst. Naruto had never got this angry before, and he had never ever cursed at her before. And what did he mean he didn't know what happened? Did he suddenly forget what went on just a couple of minutes ago? Dare she ask him?

Naruto yelled out again as his arm jolted with another series of pain. He slammed his fist into the ground numerous times shattering the area underneath him and digging in deeper with each thrust. His fist instantly was covered with scratches and bruises and his arm began to bleed all over as he continued to pound down. 

Sakura wasn't sure what to do. She was down right afraid and fearful. She wanted to help him, calm him down, anything at all to stop his pain, but she was petrified and standing in the same position. Her body began to suddenly tremble as she got a strange feeling and goosebumps arose all over her arms as she felt a cold chill hit her. 

Naruto's body began to emit a low purple glow that started to encase him slowly. He continued to pound on the ground trying to cancel out pain with pain. But his hammering started to get slower and weaker as he felt his body sag and his eyes get heavy. His breathing got shallow and his head started to hurt tremendously. 

Kakashi had finally come over with a slightly limping Sasuke next to him. They both came up behind Sakura and stood next to her as they saw Naruto still lying on the ground with his movements becoming slower by the second and his body almost completely covered in a light purple.

Kakashi looked at Sakura who was still in a petrified stance just looking on aimlessly at the blond haired ninja. He turned his direction to look at Naruto again and saw him suddenly stop all his thrashing and now standing on his knees as he clutched his skull with both hands.

Now he began to have a strange feeling himself. Something of a malicious intent hit him awkwardly causing him to not move forward to help his student. Almost as if it was pushing him away. 

Sasuke was feeling the same way. He just stood there immobile and not moving. He wanted to talk to Naruto. He wanted to ask him what was going on and why he had tried to pull a lethal jutsu on him. 

What was going on with Naruto? He was there in front of them yelling out in agony and they weren't even able to move to help him? Were they afraid? What was going to happen if they moved any closer? Why couldn't they move any closer even if they willed it? 

Naruto felt his skull squeezing so hard that the bone was about to shatter as he pressed his fingers against it. All around he felt his nerves going haywire and every single cell in his brain about to burst with overload. 

He gave out a loud scream as he felt his brain being crushed by his compressing skull. It was too much for him to handle. He couldn't stand it any longer and the world around him got darker as the light started to fade. His arms fell limply to his sides and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. There was nothing to hold him up and he crashed onto the hard dirt and lay there deadly still. 

Whatever was holding back the rest of his team earlier was now lifted as they rushed towards their fallen comrade and turned him over on his back. Sakura made a careful examination of Naruto. 

"Sakura, how is he? How are his vitals?" asked Kakashi.

"He has a low pulse and appears to be unconscious. Other than his right arm, he looks to be about ok" she said.

Kakashi sighed as he looked at Sasuke who was staring down at his friend. His eyes were focused on a particular part of his body with great concentration and Kakashi followed his stare to Naruto's abdomen which had a weird glow seeping through his clothes. 

Kakashi thought about it for a second and remembered about Naruto's new seal. He quickly moved down and told Sakura to scoot over as he carefully lifted his clothing and examined the seal which was now brightly glowing. 

He took a closer look and noticed as the purple diamond in the middle now had black streak like cracks across it. Being an amateur seal expert he knew how to deal with a certain few, but he had never worked on demonic seals before so he was clueless. 

He looked up at Sasuke who was now checking his body for any wounds. He turned to Sakura as she continued to stare at Naruto with a worried expression.

"Sakura, did Naruto tell you anything before he passed out? Were you able to find out anything?"

Sakura looked at the copy ninja with a dismal look. "No...I wasn't able to get near him at all. I tried to ask him if he was alright, but he got really angry and told me to stay away...The only thing I found out was that he didn't know how he got hurt so badly..like he forgot everything that happened earlier"

Kakashi crossed his arms and sighed deeply as he looked at his student. He was laying perfectly still on the ground with nothing but his seal glowing. He wasn't sure what to do. Probably wait it out until Naruto regained consciousness. But how long would that take? He decided to give it about ten minutes before doing something. 

"Kakashi-sensei, do you want me to heal Naruto's arm?" asked Sakura.

Kakashi looked at the pink haired girl and shook his head. "No, we shouldn't do anything for now and just let it be. We will give him ten minutes before I decide what to do next"

"Why are you here anyway Kakashi-sensei? Isn't this supposed to be your day off?" 

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke who was now crouching down next to him awaiting an explanation. 

"We have been given emergency orders by Tsunade-sama to go to Sunagakure to help the Kazekage in an important mission, double S-ranked priority. We will go together with Gai's team, and have a dead line to meet of two days"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the mention of double S-ranked. "Why has such a high ranking mission been given to us? Could you explain the details" 

Kakashi nodded his head. "I'll inform you both of the situation and what we are to do. After I am done explaining we will check up on Naruto to see if he is any better" He then turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, would you mind healing up any of Sasuke's injuries while I tell you both about what's happening?"

The medic-nin quickly replied with a yes as she took one last look at Naruto and walked over and checked up on her other teammate. Kakashi took another quick look at Naruto before he moved with the rest of his squad to inform them of the mission's details. _Naruto, whatever is happening I hope you make through it safely. Comeback to us soon..._

* * *

_Alternate Dimension _

It was very hot. The atmosphere was scorching and the air was dry. Naruto felt the blaze all around him. He was sweating protrusively and felt his face stinging all over as it instantly evaporated in the hot climate.

He heard a cold and vile laughter that was oh to familiar as it would forever haunt the depths of his soul. He opened his eyes and focused on the humongous orange orb in front of him. There it stood on the platform of destiny encasing the most sinful manifestation of hell itself, theIkatsui Karite.

"_**I can't believe I would ever find myself in this cursed sanctum again. Did you not learn your lesson the first time boy? Do you wish to lose what little sanity you have left?**"_roared Kyuubi.

Naruto didn't even flinch as Kyuubi spoke up inside his head. He knew the consequences of being in this place. A place that even the almighty Kyuubi no Yoko feared would mean that a simple mortal such as himself should have died of fear a long time ago.

But like it was said earlier, this wasn't his first time being here. He knew the deal. The Ikatsui Karite would try it's best to break him mentally. That was it's game that it liked to play. Naruto knew what to expect to a certain extent, but he still didn't know why he was here, or how.

The laughter got louder and became maniacal. Naruto looked at the orange orb as he saw the cylindrical black ether shape circling around the orb, suddenly turning it darker and darker, becoming more black by the second. 

Once it was fully encased he saw the center start to distort and a small ripple occurred as the demon soul reaper pushed through, it's dark red eyes staring directly at Naruto. It pushed slowly out, and the four large canines became visible. 

Before not too long, the majority of it's body was out swiveling in the air. It spotted Naruto and immediately formed an evil grin. It approached closer towards him until it was right in front of his face.

"So what brings you down here mortal? Come to pay a visit?"

"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Naruto. "You know damn well I would never come here again. Stop playing games and tell me why you brought me here"

The demon laughed again as it slowly began to coil around Naruto almost completely wrapping itself around the shinobi until it's head was near his right shoulder. "As rude as ever aren't you boy? Don't you think you should show some respect to those who come to your aid in times of crisis?"

Naruto bent his neck and closed his eyes as he balled his fists, causing the figure around him to laugh even more. "Ah you can't have forgotten now could you? When you summoned me to seal the soul of your.."

"Just shut up!" yelled Naruto cutting off Ikatsui Karite. "Ok fine I get it. You helped me. Thanks a fucking lot. But now you have another soul to feast on for everlasting eternity. Isn't that enough for you, you hungry bastard? Why do you want more when I have nothing left to offer?"

Ikatsui Karite continued to laugh. It was having too much fun at the expense of others and it was just the way it liked it. "True, there is nothing you can offer me more than you already have. That ever so tasty and juicy soul you gave me. The soul of your..."

It swiveled around until it met Naruto's face making direct eye contact. "own mother..."

Naruto finally flinched causing Ikatsui Karite to laugh even more. "Hahaha, can't act so tough when talking about such touchy subjects eh? Care to see how she is doing? You know she misses you ever so dearly.."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he tried to maintain his stance. He wanted so much as to just punch the black ether entity but it was hopeless. This was his domain and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

His eyes stretched out in shock as he grasped the image in front of him. There inside the orb where countless numbers of white intangible souls floating around moaning out in torment and misery. They just moved around aimless hitting one another and the sides of the orb.

Ikatsui Karite came back towards Naruto and took the same position by staying on his right side. "Would you like to pick out which one is your mother? Maybe if you guess right I'll let her go" it laughed loudly.

Naruto had to do everything he could just to hold back. He was infuriated behind belief and it was taking everything to stop from breaking down.

"_**Careful Naruto, it's just playing with your mind. Don't play into it's hands, that's what it wants**_" advised Kyuubi. 

Naruto took note of Kyuubi's words and kept trying to maintain a calm demeanor. He took a deep breath and just opened his eyes and stared ahead. 

Ikatsui Karite gave another horrid laugh. "Fine if you don't wish to save her, then I'll gladly pick her out for you. I'm sure she'll be glad that you came to visit her" 

It's red eyes glowed brightly and the souls within the orb cried out in distress as they all scattered to the sides and left a single one at the center. It stood there motionless not moving whatsoever.

Naruto's eyes started to cringe as the white ether soul began to take a more human form. It was hazy and he couldn't completely make it out. Somehow his legs moved forward toward the platform and Ikatsui Karite followed right next to him.

He walked until he was almost right up to the orb itself. He stared through and looked at the now human face of his mother. Her face was emotionless and she just stood there looking into his eyes. He couldn't even depict how she must have been feeling if anything at all. There were so many things he wanted to say and do.

He wanted to apologize for doing this to her. He wanted her to know how sorry he was. If he could cut her suffering by taking it as his own, he would do so. Suddenly he saw her reach out her right hand towards him almost if she was trying to make contact. 

Naruto couldn't believe it. Was she really able to respond? Could she have heard his thoughts? He slowly reached out with his left hand trying to touch her right.  
They were so close and right when he was about to make contact, he touched the orb and his hand instantly flew back as it was scorched and it with a burning sensation. 

He heard the vile laughter again as Ikatsui Karite encircled around him again and looked down. "Hahaha, your only allowed to see, not touch! I would have forewarned you, but the look on your face is too much to resist!"

Naruto felt his rage start to take over and he began to slightly tremble. "Ok if you brought me here just so you can get a good laugh, then I suggest you learn I'm not in the mood for jokes and am very pissed right now. I think it's for me to leave"

Ikatsui Karite laughed even harder than before. It was having way too much fun. "My pleasure comes from the suffering of dead souls, not living mortals. I've brought you here as a reminder of my presence that has been carved into the depths of your very own soul.."

Naruto heart jerked with those words. Could this have any possible connection with what had happened earlier? When all of a sudden he had lost his senses during his fight with Sasuke? When he couldn't even remember what he was doing?

The cold laughter was heard again sending chills up his spine. "So you've finally put it together? What happened earlier..It was due to part of my influence.."

Naruto's breathing got rampant as he tried his utmost best to remain calm. 

"You've put up a tough fight I must admit. Keeping out the evil influences for so long..."

It coiled around again facing him directly. "However, in the heat of battle you gave in. As long as you could achieve victory you'd be satisfied. At that moment your competitive nature gave in. All that stuff about honor, Hokage, and pointless 'Will of Fire' was thrown out" 

"SHUT UP!" yelled Naruto. "You don't know anything! The Will of Fire is what makes a ninja strong. Just as the Sandiame said with his last words"

_When they are protecting something important. That's when a shinobi's true strength appears..._

"I will become strong! I will protect everyone in this village by becoming the greatest Hokage ever! And there is no one, not even _you_, that is going to stop me, so just shut the fuck up with your stupid nonsense!" yelled Naruto.

Ikatsui Karite was taken back by this sudden resilience. It looked around the area and saw as the dimension began to slowly crumble. Could it be possible that Naruto's vigor had been able to over come his instigation? 

It looked back at Naruto who was giving it steady firm look. "I think it's about time for me to leave this forsaken place. You've pissed me off far behind I can stand. Just stay in your little playpen and don't try to resurface again"

The demon soul reaper began to uncoil itself from around Naruto and slowly started to recede into the now orange orb as the dimension began to crumble even more. It was almost fully in until just it's head remained outside. 

Before finally falling back it said a few last words. "You may indeed become the greatest Hokage ever. But you must also remember what their fate was...To forever suffer inside the stomach of the Shinigami..."

And with that it completely disappeared inside the orb leaving Naruto to stand and think about what he had said before eventually everything turned into darkness and Naruto lost all of his senses.

_End Alternate Dimension_

* * *

His eyes burst open and he felt himself leap into the air and stand on his two feet. He looked around for his teammates and spotted them right in front of him enticed by his sudden movements. He looked at each one of their faces and saw a hint of concern. 

Suddenly everything just hit him like a ton of bricks as his memory was flooded with all the accounts of what happened prior to his unconsciousness. He remembered almost killing Sasuke with his jutsu. He remembered cursing at Sakura when his arm was in severe pain. He squeezed his fingers slightly and felt a sharp jolt of pain run up his arm, but he gritted his teeth trough the pain.

"I see your finally awake Naruto. Enjoy your nice little nap" said Kakashi.

Naruto looked at his sensei who was giving him a smile. Naruto gave a fake grin and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a sudden headache and exhaustion" 

He then turned towards his two teammates that were looking at him. "I just want to tell you guys I'm sorry for what I did and said earlier. I don't know what had gotten into me, but I hope you can forgive me"

He first looked at Sasuke. "I really didn't mean to go as far as I did with my jutsu. I just lost any sense I had and it was pure stupidity on my part. I'm sorry for my actions"

However, he failed to mention what he had learned earlier, but he felt it wasn't the time to dwell into that. He didn't know if he should tell them yet, or even at all. 

"It's fine. I guess we can call it even for me punching a **Chidori **through your chest. I knew you'd get me back for that eventually" said Sasuke with a smirk.

Naruto continued to grin as he then looked at the pink haired kunoichi who was awaiting him with anxious eyes. "Sakura-chan, I'm sorry for totally blowing up on your earlier. I had no right to speak to you the way I did. If you don't ever want to speak to me again, I'll understand"

He finished and waited for what she would say. She just looked into his blue eyes trying to see if he was sincere. Before not too long she slowly walked up to him. Naruto thought he was in for a beating, and he had the sense to run, but he knew he damn well he deserved it.

When she was right in front of him she looked up at him and raised both her arms. Naruto felt as if he was about to get a hit on the head, but instead Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.

"Apology accepted" she said. "I know you were in a lot of pain and not thinking clearly. There's no way I wouldn't want to talk to you again...even if you do it too much"

Naruto laughed as he returned the hug and then looked at Kakashi. "So Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?"

The silver haired jounin had a serious look on his face now, as he remembered their mission. He smacked his forehead as he knew Gai would be all over him if they didn't reach the gates in time. 

"Naruto, I'll make this really quick because we don't have much time. We have a mission to Sunagakure, double S-ranked priority. We must reach there before two days. I can't give you all the details right now, so I'll inform you along the way, understood?"

The blonde haired ninja wanted to ask so many questions, but he decided to keep quiet and just nodded. They were about to leave for the gates until Sakura asked about Naruto's arm.

He did his best not to move it and keep it stabilized because it was still tender. "Sakura-chan, like Kakashi-sensei said we don't have anytime. It's fine right now as long as I don't move it too much. I'll fix it up when we get the time" 

The medic-nin had to fight her professional instincts and decided to agree. Team Seven moved out as fast as they could towards the Konoha gates on their mission to stop the impending Akatsuki threat in Suna. 

Naruto was still going over what had happened and what he learned from Ikatsui Karite. He didn't want to tell anybody about what happened. This was his burden, and his burden alone. He wasn't going to bring anyone else into it. 

However, he failed to notice that Kakashi had his suspicions and wasn't going to let Naruto face it on his own. He'd eventually find out one way or another. But for now their main objective was to get to Sunagakure as soon as possible to stop the impending danger and threat to not only their village, but quite possibly the world itself. 

* * *

Kirikgakure - Hidden Mist Village

Kumogakure - Hidden Cloud Village

Iwagakure - Hidden Rock Village

Konohagakure - Hidden Leaf Village

Sunagakure - Hidden Sand Village

**Rasengan** - Spiral Sphere (original)

**Tenrai Sora Rasengan** - Divine Sky Spiral Sphere (mine!)

**Chidori** - Thousand Birds (original)

**Author's Note:** Well this my longest chapter so far! I hope that makes up for the long wait for those who still care. I've been waiting a long time to finally reach this arc. There are going to be some interesting revelations, fights, scenarios, and character deaths. A lot will happen in the next few chapters and I'm excited to write them down. So remember, with your reviews combined, I am Captain Update!


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